Final Fantasy X: With a Machina twist
by azndrgn
Summary: When Tidus was brought to Spira by Auron and Sin, his best friend was dragged along. A technician who specialized in machines, especially weaponry. Watch how this new arrival changes everything the people of Spira knew. Pairing T/Y and OC/Rikku. Review if you can please. Completed!
1. Character Bios and Prologue

**I'd like to say this is my first fanfic I've written and would like reviews on it to see how I can improve. I've had this type of plot in my head for a long time and have decided to actually put it into words.**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related from FFX, just this A/U.

Author's Note: The storyline will be kept similar to the original, but with the twist of what would happen if Tidus had a friend with him who could work with machines.

OC profile:

Name: Max

Occupation: weapons engineer. Also able to make machines like computers software. Mainly interested in creating new machines for fun. Some education in human anatomy and psychology.

Hobby: Metalsmith (master), creating new inventions even if it fails

Age: 16

Sex:Male

Race: Human

Height:5'7

Preferred role in battle: mid to long distance fighter

Handsome looking face of course, Practiced gymnastics and some kung fu (mainly kicking) and is very agile.

Personality: Nice, some sass, tolerant, sometimes acts crazy if needed. (craziness inspired by Crypt from Third Fang.) analytical. Stubborn on various points of views(you'll see it in the story.)

Description of the character and weaponry will be in the story

Prologue

 _Zanarkand, the epitome of a modernized city where machine did all the work and its inhabitants lived their days in luxury and peace. A place where the people never sleeps. A heavy blitzball fan-based city where its citizens cheer for their favorite team. At this time, the Abes from A-East were about to fight the Duggles from C-South for the final game of the Jecht Memorial Cup tournament. Here is where it all began. Listen to our story, for this may be our last chance._


	2. Chapter 1 It Begins

Chapter 1

As the sun was setting, the star player of the Zanarkand Abes, Tidus, was getting ready for the finals. He wears his usual blitzball player's outfit but with his own flair. His black trousers had different lengths on each leg, his left one shorter than the right, with his team's logo, red with yellow outlines, on the end of the right trouser leg. On his left shoulder is a blue pauldron with a gauntlet that completely covers his left arm and hand. On the right side he wears only a glove on his hand. Wearing a yellow jacket with a white hood that leaves his chest exposed, the outfit is completed with a dark dungaree outfit that is worn over his clothes and is fastened with a black belt with a metal chain. Fingering his necklace that had the Abes logo on it, he peeks out of his waterfront house with his blue eyes to see a group of fans already waiting for him. As he combs his hand through his dirty blonde spiky hair,the lean tan 5'9 blitzball player smirks as he decides to set out for the game. Putting on his yellow and black sole shoes, Tidus walked out of his door and only took a few steps before being crowded by fans, asking and clamoring for his attention.

* * *

As Tidus was busy signing and flirting with his fans, another teenage male with short messy black hair combed towards the left in the back of his hair and pale skin came from behind and slapped Tidus on the head.

"You're going to be late if you keep posing for your fans," smirked the teenager.

As Tidus turned around, he saw the teenager with a lean body wearing his usual red shirt with a black outline of the Abes logo in the front while wearing blue shorts. He had gloves on and wore a brown utility belt around his shorts that hung downwards towards the left. and had black greaves on. On his left forearm was what seemed to be a silver arm guard that extended up to his elbows, but in reality was an arm computer with an analyzer and camera. With a click of a button, a screen would fold out with keyboards underneath it. His gray eyes were full of mirth as he looked at Tidus feigned indignant.

"Nice to see you out of your lab Max," as Tidus raised his hands up.

Max gave Tidus a high-five as he said, "I decided to see your game seeing it is the finals. Hopefully, you'll win as I do have a large amount of gils wagered on your team. I need it to buy the materials for my new invention."

* * *

"Still making new things? You should get out more often. Why don't you swing by the after-party of the game? You're always invited," Tidus replied.

Max had been Tidus's friend after Tidus's mother passed away. Max was the one who had been able to bring Tidus out of his emotional state, although the said treatment was questionable. It involved bringing Tidus near Max's prototypes and watching it fail and blow up spectacularly in their faces. Although it was quite painful and had Tidus's caretaker grinding his teeth about safety, Tidus was able to laugh and press on with his life.

"Maybe. I'll see if I feel like it tonight," as Max grinned, "Your fans are waiting for you, though. Seems like the kids have something they want to say."

As Tidus turned his attention back to the three kids that had been waiting for his attention after he had signed their balls, they counted down, "Two, three. Teach us how to blitz!"

Tidus awkwardly replied, "Hey, I got a game to play."

Max came up with a compromise for the children. "How about after the game and party? You should have time then."

As Tidus turned to answer it, a voice cut through them, "You can't tonight."

Both Max and Tidus looked over their shoulders to see a short boy dressed in a strange purple hood with designs on the bottom half of the jacket and wearing tatty shorts. Nobody seemed to notice the boy, though. As Max raised an eyebrow to this statement, Tidus felt compelled to follow that advice. "How about … tomorrow?" he suggested.

Max acknowledged and said, "Yea tomorrow might be better, you'll have more energy."

"Promise?" a boy asked.

Tidus smiled and agreed, raising his fist up, "Promise."

As the three boys smiled and put their blitzballs down, they raised their hands above their head before sweeping it down in an arc to form a circle stomach and bowing. Tidus and Max recognized the symbol as the blitzball sign for victory.

* * *

As Tidus and Max went on to the stadium, Tidus was stopped by many people who wanted to wish him luck or for an autograph. Tidus would have stayed to chat if Max had not reminded him that they should hurry to the game.

"You're going to be swamped at the entrance and delayed from the game. You should get to the stadium quickly if you want to have time to warm up and prepare," Max gently reminded Tidus. So they both decided to run to the stadium.

While running, Tidus looked up to the side and saw the face of Jecht on a big screen, his father. Jecht had gone missing about 10 years ago, leaving Tidus alone with his mother, who fell into deep depression and passed away shortly afterward. Tidus never really liked his father, only remembering a man who was arrogant and considered everyone to be inferior to him, even his own son. Tidus stopped trying to seek his approval and began just resenting him for his attitude. Although Jecht disappeared, a strange man named Auron suddenly appeared and claimed to be Jecht's friend. After Tidus's mother died, Auron took care of Tidus as a mysterious uncle, providing his needs but taking a passive role in his life. As Tidus shrugged off his memories, he snorted and angrily turned away from the screen. Max saw this but decided not to comment about it, instead just ran with him to the stadium.

* * *

Max's prediction proved right as a huge group of fans mobbed Tidus, grabbing him and asking for more autographs. Max was able to slide right through the crowd as he was ignored. He turned around and look amused while Tidus was struggling to get through. He decided to wait for Tidus before entering the stadium. After finally detaching the last fan off his legs, Tidus came up to Max and nodded his head towards the side, signaling Max to come with him to the locker rooms. As they entered, the whole Abe's team was there preparing. Although usually people outside the team wasn't usually allowed in, Max was an exception as he was considered an unofficial adviser and strategists. The whole team accepted Max and even asked if he wanted to join their team, even as a backup player. Max declined, citing that he didn't feel like swimming around too much, although he would join in on their practice from time to time. As the whole team got warmed up, the coach came in.

"Alright team, I hope your ready. This is the finals and I'm expecting a win out of this game. This game will be a close one, but we will prevail against the Duggles, otherwise Max here will be out of gils," the coach exclaimed.

The whole team laughed before getting serious.

Max pulled out a couple charts and handed them to the coach and team. "Here are some common tactics and plays that the Duggle's usually use. If you recognize the formations they use, you guys should be able to intercept the ball and score."

As the Abe's hunkered down and discussed tactics with the coach and Max, Tidus couldn't help but feel that something big was going to happen at tonight's game.

* * *

As Tidus went with his team to wait at the edge of the sphere pool, Max went to back into the stadium seats reserved for VIPs.

As he sat in there, he wondered where Auron was and thought 'I would think he would at least see the finals for Tidus.'

Soon, the sound of machinery could be heard and a blue blob of water appeared in the middle of the stadium. Max smirked as he had always admired how the sphere pool was created and even managed to recreate the technology on how to do it by himself, even if it took him twenty trials, with half of them exploding in front of his face. Max then saw Tidus step up to the platform and had to cover his ears slightly when all the fans started screaming for him. The stadium rooftop soon opened up and expanded, and all the fans started streaming into the seats. As the electricity continued to charge the blue sphere, the giant ring around it started rotating.

Soon, there was a bright flash of light and the sphere pool was formed within the ring. Max leaned back in his seat and thought to himself, 'Let the games begin.'

* * *

Outside the stadium and in the city, Auron, a black haired tan-skinned man with gray streaks with a braid, looked towards the ocean. Standing on a concrete jutting from a skyscraper, he wears a red haori with his left arm propped inside like a sling while the right arm was in the sleeve, clothes with a high collar, enough to cover his mouth and black pants. A blue sash could be seen around his waist, with a white jug hanging off it on his right. His right hand was wearing a gauntlet while his left shoulder had an intricately designed shoulder pad. A scar could be seen on the right side of his face, going from his forehead and down to his cheeks, intersecting with his right eye. As he stared out with his one good eye while wearing black tinted round sunglasses, the water slowly started to swell upwards. Soon, people started noticing and began screaming and running away from the waters. As Auron continued focusing at the increasing swell of the water, a creature with many glowing eyes could be seen. Without any trace of panic or fear, Auron calmly lifted his jugs towards the creature, as if welcoming it to the city.

* * *

The game was favoring the Abes thanks to Max's information and strategies. The plays that the Duggles used were being turned against them, and soon the game was 2-0 in the Abes favor. As the forward right of the Duggles' member charged forward with a blitzball, ready to try to make a shot, Tidus intercepted the kicker with a fierce shoulder ram, causing the player to drop the ball as he was shot out of the pool.

'Ouch,' thought Max, 'That's going to leave a mark.'

As the replacement player was quickly sent out, the Abe's midfielder was able to snag the ball before throwing it up towards the sky, breaking out of the sphere pool. As the ball soared into the sky, Tidus swam and kicked with all his might before launching out of the pool while slowly arcing his body into a back flip. As he began to prepare to use his signature move, the Sphere shot, Tidus felt something was off and took a glance out towards the city before noticing something was wrong. A huge water sphere was floating in the city and was bending the city in a bizarre way as if the building were being sucked into it. Max frowned as he saw Tidus get distracted and glanced towards the city with his binoculars from his utility belt, only to widen his eyes as he saw the same thing as Tidus.

* * *

Abruptly, three shots of energy were fired from the sphere towards the stadium. The main center of the city was hit, destroying the buildings, while the aftershocks were carried towards the stadium. As the stadium started to crumple, the stadium lost energy to maintain the sphere pool and splashed down. As Tidus fell towards the ground after launching himself up, he managed to grab the edge the ring that rotated around the pool. Max saw that Tidus wasn't going to be able to hold out forever, so he grabbed his portable hook shot with the wires made with Kevlar from his belt and shot it out towards the ring next to Tidus. It struck right next to Tidus, allowing him to slide down the rope to safety. As Tidus touched the ground, he hugged it for a little while.

Bemused, Max said, "As much as I also love the floor, I think we should make our way out of the stadium and towards the safety bunkers."

Acceding to the suggestion, both Tidus and Max made their way out of the stadium only to come face to face with Auron.

"Auron!" exclaimed both teenagers.

"What are you doing here?" Tidus asked. "And where have you been!?" demanded Max.

Auron ignored Max and replied to Tidus, "Waiting for you."

He started walking down the road, going in the opposite direction of the crowd. Both teenagers looked at each other before giving exasperated sighs.

"I'm going to follow Auron, you should get to the bunkers," Tidus groaned.

Max retorted, "I'm not leaving you with the crazy uncle whose seems to be walking towards danger, I'm coming with you to make sure you don't get yourself killed." Tidus just nodded and both ran off in the same direction as Auron.

As both of them ran, Max cried out "I hope Auron knows what he's doing! I'm lucky I actually decided to go with full gear in my utility belt."

Tidus looked at the belt to see that it did seem a bit more packed than it usually was.

He asked, "You decided to bring in some self-defense items as well as your usual items? What did you need those for tonight?"

Max just giggled and said, "It was for protection just in case the Duggles decided to take revenge on the loss or to ensure that the person who made the bet with me wouldn't back out."

Tidus shivered, remembering the last time someone actually pissed off Max. He was a nice guy with a wide tolerance level, but once broken, it became a disaster zone. As the two ran, they encountered the same purple hooded kid seemed to be looking straight at them. As they slowed to try to run around the kid, they noticed something was off. The city had suddenly gone quiet, and the people that were running towards the bunkers froze. As Max began to poke people to see if they would have any reaction, Tidus looked around to see what was wrong. Both teenagers then heard the boy speak.

"It begins."


	3. Chapter 2 Into the Light

Chapter 2

"What?" asked Max. Tidus just frowned as he tightened his fist. He felt like he was losing control of reality.

"Don't cry," said the boy.

Tidus began to walk towards the boy before a flash a light hit both of the teenagers eyes. Soon, time seemed to resume. Unfortunately for Max, he was in the way of one the heavier people as he had been busy prodding them and was promptly ran over.

As he laid on the floor, he groaned out loud,"I don't think I like the floor anymore."

Tidus chuckled as he pulled Max up, "It was your own fault for being in the way."

Both of them started running again and found Auron waiting for them. Auron casually looked at Max, surprised that he had decided to come along with but then turned around again the giant water orb in the sky and said "Look"

* * *

As Tidus and Max both gazed at the orb, They could see a creature with many shiny eyes and some form of leathery skin.

Max sarcastically replied, "Congratulation, Auron. You bought us both here to get a front row seat of looking at death in the eye didn't you?"

Auron ignored the barb and told them both, "We called it Sin." Tidus echoed the last word "Sin?"

Soon, a crash could be felt as a huge object crashed into a nearby tower. The object jutting out of the building seemed to be some sort of tentacle that was squirming. Soon, scales started to shake and launched off the long length of the tentacles and into the city. Many seem to fall in front of the trio. As they continue to stare at the scales, it transformed into some sort of mutated large butterfly with four pointy legs.

Auron merely glanced at the fiends and said, "Those are sinscales."

Tidus tried to shoo away some of the sinscales with threatening hand gestures, only to scoot back fast onto his rear by a snap of wings from the fiends. Auron stepped forward and held out a lethal looking sword, the edge polished and sharpened while its blade was dyed red. The edge of the blade seem to extend from the base of the sword and hooked around the tip and to the mid point of the sword, making it a semi-double edged sword. Max took a look at the sword and noted that the design was not the usual ones that were seen in Zanarkand. Tidus closed his hand on the handle, and Auron pulled him up while pointing the sword to the sky. As soon as Auron let go, Tidus felt the weight and almost dropped it.

* * *

"A gift from Jecht," said Auron.

"My old man?" questioned Tidus, surprised about the gift.

As Tidus looked at Auron, he saw that Auron had a long large blade that was bigger and obviously heavier than his current blade.

"I hope you know how to use it," Auron mocked.

Tidus gave his sword a few awkward swings before finding a more comfortable stance. He frowned as he noticed Max didn't have a sword.

Max saw Tidus's face and replied, "Don't worry about me, I brought my 'self-defense' gear , remember?"

As he was talking, two small rods popped out from his utility belt, and with a quick swing both transformed into pistols that he had crafted himself.

"This should be enough to help you guys while being able to defend myself. I also have variations of my bullets with me still."

* * *

Auron focused on the sinscales and directed the two forward. "These one's don't matter. We cut through."

He sliced one in half with brute force and rushed forward. Max teamed up with Tidus and aimed at the sinscale's eyes, distracting them and allowing Tidus to become more accustomed to his sword and go for the kill. A few times the sinscales tried to attack Max, but he was able to dodge them or kick them away with his greaves. As the group proceeded forward, they encountered another large anemone looking object.

"That is what we call Sinspawn Ammes," Auron said, "It won't be as easy as the sinscales we just cut through."

As though to prove a point, a large purple blast hit all three of them without warning. Auron shook it off, but Max and Tidus were still trying to get back up from the blast. Soon sinscales appeared around the Ammes.

"What was that?" asked Tidus. Max shook he head clear as he gave it some thought. 'Magic? Haven't seen someone cast anything before.' Soon sinscales appeared around the Ammes.

"Get out of my town!" yelled Max and Tidus.

"Some can't wait to die," proclaimed Auron as he jumped up, blade facing down.

He channeled his spirit into his blade and roared out, "Dragon Fang!".

He thrust his blade down into the ground. The results became obvious as sinscales and the Ammes were hit by sudden explosions under them, leaving only the Ammes alive. As Auron pulled his blade out of the ground, Tidus decided to raise the stakes and put his athletic skills to use. He rushed forward and did a front flip followed by another front flip while twisting at the same time. The end result was increasing the momentum of the blade and striking the Ammes with it. Max finished it off by loading an explosive bullet and firing it at a weak point that he managed to see after Tidus cut the Ammes.

As the Ammes vanished, Max turned to Tidus and asked, "What do you call that move you just did?" "I'll call it Spiral Cut. Seems appropriate for it," responded Tidus.

* * *

As the group continued to push forward, Tidus saw the huge screen of Jecht still standing and smirking. Tidus saw it and snarled, "What are you laughing at old man?" He turned to Auron who suddenly stopped moving.

"Auron," Tidus called out, "Lets get out of here."

Max agreed, "We should get somewhere a bit safer than here, or just continue moving."

Auron merely chuckled, "We're expected," and continued to run forward.

Tidus and Max gave each other a glance and sighed, following Auron. Soon, the trio was surrounded by sinscales.

"Hmm," Auron murmured, "This could be bad."

He noticed a tanker on the side of the road a bit away from them that was barely hanging on the road, but its path was blocked by more sinscales.

"Max, shoot that tanker and make it fall down," Auron commanded.

"What!?" Tidus yelped as he dodged a sinscale.

Max frowned before realizing Auron's plan. He loaded another explosive bullet and shot it at the tank. The tanker fell down and exploded, causing the nearby building with Jecht's face on it to collapse forward, hitting the road and wiping out many of the sinscales in front of them. It created a passageway for them to continue, although the building continued to sink down.

Max saw the irony of this situation and said to Tidus, "Well you did always say you wanted to drag his smug face down to the ground, I'd say this should situation matches that."

Tidus grimaced at first, then grinned and replied, "I suppose I should thank you for bringing him down from his throne."

* * *

"GO!" Auron shouted.

All three of them started running and jumping over obstacles as the building continued to crumble. Auron reached the other side of the road first, landing on his feet. Tidus jumped and barely made it, with his hands on the broken lip of the road. Max decided to make use of his hookshot and reel himself in to ensure that he would actually make it and not fall off.

As both Max and Tidus were trying to get on the road, Auron turned his head upward and seemed to give a question to the sky, "What about his friend? He wasn't part of the plan."

At this question, both realized that a massive pulsating creature was above them. The center of the mass seemed to be a vortex that was sucking everything in.

As the road began to also lift upwards, Auron asked another question, "You are sure?"

After seemingly getting an affirmative from the vortex, Auron picked up Tidus and Max up their shirt fronts with each arm with ease. As they continue upwards to the vortex, Auron said something important that both males wouldn't forget soon.

"This is it," he began, "This is your story. Both of yours. It all begins here."

As Tidus struggled from the man's grip, Max pondered about this advice. Both wouldn't have any chance to continue their line of thoughts as they saw Auron's head begin to distort into the vortex.

Tidus screamed out of panic while Max just gave a huge scream, "This isn't how I planned my night!" The world went white on both of them.

* * *

 _Tidus felt weightless and opened his eyes. He saw Zanarkand, still on fire and ruined. He twisted around to see Max still squirming, trying to re-orient himself. He thought he was dreaming. After all, who could actually fly? He noticed the Abes insignia that seemed to be floating in the sky._

 _Then he heard a voice. Hey! Max stopped moving and looked at Tidus, surprised at this voice._

 _Hey! This time, Tidus seemed to recognize this voice. "My old man?" Tidus pondered out loud._

 _Max was startled by this realization before noticing a platform with someone on it. He gestured to Tidus, who saw the person. Tidus felt his heart drop as he saw who the man was. It was his father, Jecht, someone he didn't want to see again. As both of them descended down to the platform, they noticed that the person disappeared and two other people appeared. It was the seven-year-old versions of themselves. As both boys pondered on what this could mean, the world turned white on them again._

 **OMAKE**

Hey! Max stopped moving and looked at Tidus. Hey! Tidus looked back at Max again, this time with an annoyed face. As they descended down, they saw a blue light that seemed to have 4 wings, 2 wings bigger than the other two. "Hey, Listen!" repeated the blue blob over and over again. Both looked at each other for awhile while the blue pixie kept saying "Hey, Listen!". Max handed a pistol loaded with his most powerful explosive bullet to Tidus while also loading the other one up. Both pointed their guns at the pixie and shot it. Repeatedly. As soon as they ran out of bullets, Max turned to Tidus and said "Thank heavens we don't have to-" He was interrupted by another "Hey, Listen!". As both turned around in horror, the blue pixie seemed to have suffered no damage. Both boys gave shrieks of horror.

 **Author Note:**

 **I'm probably going to put Max's first overdrive name as Deadshot. Shoot an enemy at it's weak point and deal critical damage. Damage based off of what type of ammo used, laser , bullet, or anything else. His list for overdrive is to be titled shooter galore.**


	4. Chapter 3 Where are we?

**Another chapter yaa. I am looking for beta readers. Just message me about it. Reviews are welcomed, good or bad. Any pointers to help improve the story are also welcomed. I will most likely be trying to upload a chapter weekly. Just a reminder, I don't own FFX, just this OC.**

* * *

Wet. That was only feeling that came into Max's mind as he woke up. Quickly looking around, he spotted Tidus on a slab of rock. As he swam towards the rock, Tidus woke up.

"Anybody there?" Tidus quickly shouted. Max sent a splash of water towards Tidus to notify him to look left. Seeing Max, Tidus looked relieve that his best friend somehow managed to land in the same area, wherever they were.

Then he noticed that Auron wasn't with them and shout out, "Auron!"

Seeing no reply, he gave a frustrated shout out loud, scaring the bird that was in front of him. As the bird flew away, both teenagers followed its flight path with their eyes and saw an old building in the distance. Figuring that they needed shelter, both of them decided to swim towards it. As they were swimming, Tidus noticed how that there were ruins below them, theorizing that at one point it was dry land before. Max took note of some letters that were on their rights. Quickly scaling up to the words, he saw what was written on it.

 _ **'Eh dra myht frana pumdc uv mekrd emmisehyda dra pmylgacd hekrd. Fedr Sylymyhey pareht dra vuindr bemmyn oui cekrd Muug hud uh dra mavd pid uh dra nekrd**_.'

* * *

As Tidus followed close by and saw the letters, he looked at it quizzically and shrugged.

"Nope, can't read it. This language familiar to you Max?" Tidus asked.

"No. I've never seen this dialect before. Better take a photo of it just in case I guess," said Max lifted his arm guard towards it. Sadly, due to excess water exposure as well as damage from the travels, it didn't load up.

"Dammit. I better fix this when I get the chance and put in better water protection as well as durability," he grumbled as he put it down and reached into his utility belt. Luckily, the belt had survived and was waterproof. He took a piece of paper and pen and wrote down the words, hoping to find out what they meant. As he put the paper away, he noticed something terribly wrong.

"Where are my guns?" as he frantically searched around his body before looking around the ruins. Tidus only then noticed that he didn't have his sword with him either.

"Great. The only gift from my old man and I lose it within the hour," Tidus griped.

"At least you can get another sword from somewhere easily. I have to rebuild my guns again!"bellyached Max "The only good thing is I suppose I can finally incorporate my new designs I had planned for my guns. At least my ammunition packs I was carrying are safe. Don't think I'll be able to head back home to get more anytime soon."

* * *

As the two traveled further towards the temple they got out of the water and onto the land. Max mused out loud, "I seem to be in a love/hate relationship with the floor. At one point I like it, and another it causes me terrible pain." As they went further in, both noticed a narrow bridge that seemed to be crumpling. Underneath them was a large pool of water. Not really wanting to debate about it, the two quickly tried to cross the bridge. Suddenly, something struck the land behind them, causing the bridge to collapse.

As they were falling, Max screamed out, "I HATE YOU FLOOR!"

As the two sunk down to the water, Tidus quickly scanned around and found saw a shoreline to swim to. Tidus signaled Max to follow and swam towards it. As they were swimming, both boys noticed something was wrong. The currents had suddenly changed in a still lake of water. As both boys ducked down to see, they instantly panicked. In the lake was a massive fish with two protruding fins and a fat belly that seemed to carry nothing as there were many holes through it. Tidus quickly noticed a hole for them to swim to and motioned Max to swim towards it. Since Tidus was an active blitzball player, he swam faster than Max and reached the hole first. As Max was kicking as hard he could, the fish was gaining on him. Tidus could see its mouth about to swallow Max as he swam towards the hole. With a femtosecond left, Max managed to reach the hole before the fish bashed its mouth into it. The force caused both Tidus and Max to flip in the water while being shot forward. As soon as both were finally able to stop the world from whirling around them, they noticed they were inside the building.

* * *

Max looked around and noticed that it was actually some sort of temple. The statues seemed to signify some importance, but the decay had set in, making them unrecognizable. The surrounding areas seem to be in ruins, signifying that this temple had lost its purpose and people for a long time. Tidus saw the remains of the campfire and only had one thing in mind: warmth.

"We should get a fire going on. It's freezing in here," said Tidus as his teeth chattered.

Max acknowledged and set out to find some fuel. Tidus went into one of the rooms to discover a set of flint rocks. As he went back out, he saw Max already putting a withered bouquet on. He had also grabbed all the flowers in the surrounding area before laying them in a separate pile.

"This pile of flowers is wet from the surrounding moisture. I was lucky to even find one that was still dry. Hopefully, we can use these if we put them near the fire to dry out for more fuel," explained Max.

Tidus concurred and pulled out the flint rocks that he managed to find. Using the rocks, they were able to start a fire.

As they quickly huddled around the fire, Max decided to quickly go through his inventory in his belt. He sighed in relief as he saw that most of his items were still there and working. His tool kit, ammo pack, hookshot, a pouch full of gils, binoculars, and wires he had forgotten to take out was still in there. He found a short sheath that he had packed and tossed one to Tidus. With a quick flick, an expandable stun baton came out that Max had made. Its voltage was modified to go up to at least 50,000 volts when stabbed. It wasn't the perfect weapon, but it was sturdy enough and would provide at least some form of weapon for them to have. Tidus turned to Max to ask about his weapon when Max merely pointed to his greaves and gestured that he could still kick.

* * *

As Tidus laid out on the floor to relax, Max went to work on trying to fix his arm computer. As the minutes passed, both of them started to feel hunger setting in.

"I need food," lamented Tidus. Max merely grunted in acknowledgment while replacing some of the wiring in his computers with the new wires.

"Get some rest Tidus,"called out Max. "We're gonna need our energy for whatever outs here. I'll take first watch since I still need to work on my computer to get it working again."

Tidus acceded and started to fall asleep. He had a dream about a memory two years ago. The Jecht memorial cup was going full tide, but the Abe's had lost their chance thanks to Tidus's anger. Every year on that day, he would always be resentful to everyone, but this time it had finally affected his game and team.

 _Flashback begins_

As Tidus walked angrily around his home, Auron came in to visit.

"What do you want?" demanded Tidus.

"It was a bad call," replied Auron, "Your team lost because of you."

"You came in just to say that?" Tidus scowled.

Max entered in silently and just sat on the couch.

Auron continued to walk forward with barely a change in his expression. "Its been ten years," said Auron. He looked at Tidus with a small smirk, "I thought you'd be crying."

"Who, me?" as Tidus gestured impatiently. Max merely raised an eyebrow as he had seen Tidus actually cry in the locker rooms after the game, but decided to hold his tongue.

As Auron walked away, the same boy with a purple hood suddenly appeared with swirling blue/green lights.

"You cried."

 _Flashback ends_

* * *

Tidus woke up as Max ushered him awake. The fire was still going strong, but their supply of fuel was quickly dwindling down.

"It's your turn to watch, I need to get some shut-eye," yawned Max.

Suddenly, as lightning flashed, there was a fiend on the wall. Its eyes glowed red as it snapped its front claws. The four-legged fiend seem to have blades as legs instead. It started to scuttle around the walls in a circle before leaping forward towards them. Tidus and Max both got into fighting positions and tried to surround the fiend. Tidus struck first, narrowly dodging the fiends claws. Max came from behind and tried to kick the fiend . The fiend's tail whipped out and caught Max in the stomach. After being tossed out, Max sluggishly pulled himself up. Both men were hungry, but Max was more tired than Tidus since he hadn't been able to take a nap yet.

As it seemed like doom for the both of them, the doors in the temple suddenly blew open. Tidus took a glance and saw four strangely dressed men pointing guns at both the fiend and them. The blitzer quickly covered Max just in case they weren't trigger happy. Max glanced at the guns before frowning.

'Those rifles seems to be single shot and incredibly inefficient,' he pondered, 'Maybe they have better penetration than the ones I build? Doesn't seem like it though.'

A female with blonde hair came from behind the four men and seemed to assert herself as the leader of the group. Wearing a tan wet suit that clearly defined her curves, she had red armor that seemed to cover various parts of her body, including her arms, outer legs, and head. She wore a green leather belt and had goggles. She approached the two teenagers, seemingly analyzing them. Max noted that she seemed to be slightly younger than them, perhaps still a girl but almost reaching womanhood. He slightly blushed at the thought of the girl becoming a woman. He noticed that the girl had grabbed something from her belt before tossing it towards the fiend.

It was a small green object that bounced before landing underneath the fiend. Tidus frowned before recognizing it as some sort of projectile.

Max widened his eyes and yelled out "Grenade! Get Down!"

Tidus, recognizing that signal, quickly pulled Max back with him as the grenade exploded. The fiend burst into swirling lights after being hit by the explosion.

"Whew. That was close," said Tidus cheerfully as the girl had taken her goggles off, showing her green eyes.

Upon closer inspection, Max noticed that there seemed to be some sort of swirl in them. Both was hoping that these newcomers were friendly. Regrettably, that didn't seem to be the case. The four men quickly surrounded Tidus and Max and grabbed Tidus by the hair. The blitzer made a yelp, "Hey, let me go," as he dropped the baton. The engineer was pinned down to the floor by another with a gun to his head. Max decided to remain quit, letting Tidus do the talking. They pointed their guns at the duo, causing Tidus to stop moving.

'Great,' Max sarcastically congratulated himself, 'If we aren't going to be eaten, then we're going to be shot at instead.'

" _ **Fryd ec drec**_ _?"_ questioned one of the men in a harsh tone.

Tidus frowned as he couldn't understand what was being said. Max was busy trying to analyze what they were trying to say by their tone of voice as he didn't recognize the language either.

" _ **Y Fiend!"**_ replied another man holding Max down, **_"Eh risyh teckieca!"_** He didn't notice Max and grabbed the baton and sheathed it, hiding it beneath his body and into his clothes.

" _ **Oac! Ed ec cu!"**_ The last man yelled out as he took out a knife, ready to slit Tidus's throat. **_"Fa gemm ed?"_**

" _ **Fyed!"**_ shouted the girl urgently, _**"Fryd ey ed ec risyh?"**_

The knife wielder impatiently replied, _**"Drao yna dra cysa eh tadyr."**_

The girl shook her head and used a tone that allowed for no argument, _**"E vunpt ed! Fa pnehk ed fedr ic."**_

Max took note of the argument, hoping that the men were listening to the girl as she seemed to be their best hope of getting out of here alive. The man released Tidus's hair as the girl closed in on Tidus.

As she walked forward and put her mouth close to Tidus's ear, Max heard the girl say, _**"Cunno."**_

Before he realized it, the girl had punched Tidus in the stomach hard. Max tried to get up, but a hand shot out and slammed him into the floor.

As darkness took over both of them, Max's last thoughts were, 'I so hate the floor right now.'


	5. Chapter 4 Amongst Strangers

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFX. Any dialogue from the game is theirs. Also, any Al Bhed lines that weren't in the game, I went online to a website and typed it in English, and it automatically translated it to Al Bhed. I won't put what they mean, as the characters aren't supposed to know what they are saying for now. Maybe in the future chapters, I will.**

* * *

As Tidus woke up, he could feel something cold beneath him. As he started to regain consciousness, he felt the floor sway a bit. After opening his eyes, he could see that he was on a ship. He spotted Max next to him, still unconscious. He winced, remembering that although he got sucker punched in the stomach, Max got a head concussion from those strange men. As soon as Tidus stood up, one of the men that was on the lookout hit Tidus on the chest with the butt of his gun, making him fall back down.

" _ **Ced, lybedja!"**_ the man barked out.

"Hey, that hurt," Tidus replied angrily.

" _ **Hu sujehk, rayn**_ ," said the other man watching over them. Both men pointed their guns at Tidus.

"Whoa, okay," the blitzer placated them, understanding the roles for now.

* * *

The hatchway on the door started to rumble and opened allowing two more people to come through. One of them was the female that had punched her earlier, the male that came out had a blonde mohawk, wore overall jeans only and had blue tattoos all over his chest and forearms. He wore goggles that covered his eye, and he gestured the girl to force Tidus to stand, bending his arm in an awkward position so he wouldn't escape. He then proceeded to do a series of hand gestures and grunts towards Tidus, which amused Tidus but didn't get the message.

"Right, whatever," said Tidus.

Irritated, the man said, _**"To oui hub cbayg?"**_ then he noticed Max still unconscious.

" _ **Fyga res ib,"**_ the male said, pointing at Max.

A bucket full of water was then thrown on Max's face, instantly waking him up. Max looked around before noticing the situation that was before him.

He crinkled his eyebrows and wryly said, "I don't know what's happening, but I do hope my head stops spinning. You guys really made my head ache when you slammed me to the ground."

Either the man didn't understand or chose to ignore that comment before making another series of hand gestures and grunts towards the two and holding out goggles.

Growing angrier by the second, Tidus snapped, "I said I don't understand!"

Both men that were on guard duty pointed their guns at Tidus and Max, and yelled out, " _ **Ehcumahla."**_

* * *

" _ **Feyd,"**_ said the girl that was still behind Tidus and holding his arms down uncomfortably. Then she spoke to both prisoners, "He said you can stay on the ship if you two make yourselves useful."

Tidus almost fell over in shock while Max did a faceplant in shock, instantly regretting it since the floor seems to be made out of iron. Tidus winced at that while Max just mumbled: "The floor is my enemy now."

"You … You understand me?" questioned Tidus.

A guard was about to elbow Tidus in the back, perhaps as persuasion to make Tidus work when Max asked, "and you couldn't have said anything earlier first? You clearly saw that we had no idea what the heck you guys were saying!"

The guard turned as if to kick Max when the girl stopped him. After holding a short conversation with the mohawk guy, who seemed to be the leader, the girl stepped forward, looking a bit apologetic.

"Sorry about that, didn't really seem to think about the language difference. Everyone thought that _**oui**_ were fiends. I can help translate," she apologized.

Max raised an eyebrow. "We?" he asked.

"Oops, sorry, I meant you." Rikku apologized. Max still had questions about that but decided to stow that away for later.

Seeing that the girl didn't mean any more harm, for now, Max decided to launch a few different questions at her.

"So I have a few questions and here's a list: A)Where are we? B) Who are you? C)What language are you guys speaking? D)What do you want us to do?, and E)Can we get something to eat before we work? Both of us haven't had anything to eat for hours now, and won't be able to perform the tasks you want us. You don't have to fill us up, just enough to tide over the hunger."

The female just stared at Max for a bit before translating it back to their leader. After a few more minutes of discussion, she came back with answers.

"Well, I can answer some of your questions. My name is Rikku, please to meetcha , and you don't really need to know where we are for now. The language we speak is native to my people, though its not surprising you two didn't understand what we were saying. We want you two to help out salvage something big underneath these ruins. It seems to be an ancient machina. As for the last request, I suppose we could get something for you two to eat."

"If you want us to work right away, better make it a banana for the both of us, so we can digest it fast and easily," said Tidus, shocking Max a little. "What? You think I didn't remember about which food goes down easily? I do know a little about the human body, considering my profession."

"Good point," Max conceded.

* * *

As Rikku went to grab some bananas, one of the guards handed out portable rebreathers that converted water to oxygen to both Tidus and Max. (A/N: I refuse to believe that Rikku and Tidus was able to hold their breath underwater for an extended period of time while fighting. Playing and underwater sport for 5 minutes is already highly improbable, but slightly passable as the longest record is 20 mins and 21 seconds, probably doing nothing, though. Also noticed the pyreflies apparently have to do with something in the spherepool, allowing blitzball players to play for extended time, but it doesn't really make sense to me.)

As both of them were warming up and preparing for the dive, the guard held out two old swords. One of them seemed rusty enough to break with the slightest touch. Max gave Tidus the better one while pulling out the sheath. As Rikku came back with food, Max flicked the sheath, allowing the baton to expand. A second later, Max found himself with a banana instead as Rikku stole the baton. All the crew seemed to have crowded around Rikku, looking at the baton in admiration. After taking this time, to quickly eat the bananas, Tidus and Max stood for awhile before finally clearing their throats. The crew had the decency to at least look embarrassed before Rikku addressed Max.

"What is this? How can this fit in something so small? Can I have it study, please? Do you have more? What's it made of the materials seem sturdier than what we have? What's inside that belt of yours. we couldn't get it off. I want to-" babbled Rikku as she started to ask questions at a higher pace. Only after Max clapping his hands loudly in front of Rikku's face did she stop and blush.

"I'd like my only measure of self-defense weapon back if you please. You can study it after we're done with this job. As for my belt, that's just personal stuff that I don't want to answer," answered Max. Rikku and her crew seem satisfied with the answer for now and gave it back.

* * *

After putting on the rebreathers, Rikku, Max, and Tidus all dove into the water. As they continued to swim down, they could see red lights and an outline of something big. When they found an entrance, Tidus and Max could see that it was something technologically advanced, like their city. In front of them was a panel that seemed to be still active. Tidus went forward to try to use it but ended up pounding his fists on it, trying to force it to work. As Rikku and Max face-palmed in the background, the door actually opened. As they began to swim forward again, Max gestured to Tidus that maybe next time he should try first, considering his hobby and occupation. Tidus just shrugged, stating that pounding machines did work from time to time.

As they moved forward, they passed a circular room and into the hallway. As they were swimming, some piranhas tried to attack them but was easily defeated with a couple swings. As they continued on, Max saw something he definitely recognized. It was an energy core, albeit a bit old and flickering. It seemed like the energy output was inconsistent and couldn't provide a stable connection. As he continued to analyze it, Tidus began whacking at again. This time, Max swam up and gestured Tidus to move to allow him to fix it. As Max swam up to the core, he pulled out from his utility belt his tool kit that he always carried. Most of the tools in it were similar to his baton, capable of transforming when needed and at the same time shrink down to allow space. There he began reconnecting wires, hammering down a few crooked metal pieces.

As he was working, Rikku was watching intensely and pondered, 'Who is this person? He seems to have a good, no better grasp of machina than most of my people. And his tools seems to be all of a transforming variant. I want it! I wonder if I can steal **cough** I mean borrow it from him. He can't say no to this cute face.'

Max felt a chill on his back as he worked on the core, but ignored it. After a few minutes, the core was back at running at full capacity. Max gave a quick thought about the core, though. 'This core is one of the older models in the market, used for simple tasks. What is it possibly running?'

* * *

After finishing, Max made sure to put all his equipment back into his belt, although he caught Rikku trying to steal one. Giving her an angry glare, she sheepishly gave it back. The trio swam back into the circular room they came from earlier, only to encounter a giant octopus that seemed to have just woken up. It didn't look pleased to have roused from its nap and charged towards them. Rikku quickly threw a grenade at the octopus, but it shrugged off the damage due to its size and toughness. It came too close to them for Rikku to use another one, and so they decided to engage it in close combat. Rikku quickly equipped her claws before frowning and comparing it with Max's weapon. His seemed to be much more portable than hers and considered asking Max more about his transforming items. They seemed like magic but knew there was no magical source from them.

Tidus slashed, Max whacked, and Rikku stabbed the octopus while dodging its tentacles. The trio rotated their turns, allowing a constant stream of damage to be done, forcing the octopus to defend itself. As the octopus seemed to be unable to attack at all, it swam away. Thinking it was over, all three of them relaxed, only to be suddenly slammed from behind. Cursing, the trio saw that the octopus had merely swum around the room and hit them with its momentum. Rikku quickly threw another grenade after it to halt its course. Max however quickly dived down to grab his rebreather as he had dropped it after being hit. The octopus dove for Max, but Tidus managed to quickly intercept with a swing to its head. Years of swimming in water for practice allowed Tidus to sense a shift in the water current and quickly moved, dodging a tentacle that had flailed out from the side after being slashed on the head. Max quickly put the rebreather back on and stabbed the octopus through its skin from underneath with his baton. With a quick smirk on his face, Max activated the stun baton.

* * *

Rikku watched in amazement at both Tidus and Max. Tidus seemed to be able to move freely underwater without trouble as if born in the water. She first feared for Max's life as she saw him stab the octopus without much damage. She swam forward to try to help him, only to see a smirk on his face. Before she could even ponder on this smirk, the octopus started flailing, as if something was electrocuting it.

Her eyes widened and thought, 'Electricity!? Is he using thunder magic? But I can't feel any source of magic at all coming from him.'

Before long, Max finally disengaged the probe and swam off. Since the Octopus was still twitching, Rikku through another grenade to finish it off. The octopus dissolved into small blue lights that swirled flew away. Tidus did a back flip to celebrate, Rikku gave a fist pump, and Max tried to do a forward flip, but accidentally hit a piece of metal that was jutting on the wall. Making a quick curse while the other two laughed, they quickly swam out of the room via hole that one of Rikku's grenade had caused.

* * *

As they swam out, lights started to flicker on. After seeing the whole scavenger crew down here, Tidus and Max could see some sort of hanger. As they swam deeper in, both could see some sort of giant vessel. Tidus didn't recognize what type of vessel it was, and Max felt like he had seen this model before. Whatever it was, the scavenger crew seemed ecstatic at their findings. They took out a series of ropes and hooks and attached to the vessel before dragging it out from the ocean depths. As Tidus and Max got back to the ship last, they could hear the scavenger crew quickly talking in their language. As they were talking, Max hid his left forearm behind Tidus before turning on his arm computer, Thanks to the new wires that he had forgotten to put away, the computer was now completely waterproof. Quickly activating the voice recorder, he closed the computer screen, allowing it to record voices while allowing it to be in its disguise as a forearm guard. He planned to record the conversation they were having and hopefully have his computer run a diagnosis on what language they spoke. While he was busy, Tidus heard the word airship but disregarded it. Both saw the crew going into the ship and followed to join them.

One of them stopped them and said fiercely, _**"Oui dfu uidceta."**_

Tidus and Max frowned at this, and complained, "Hey we helped out didn't we?"

Then the guard was accompanied by the leader who held out his hand. Looking at his face, they both sighed, knowing it was futile to try to get in. Tidus gave his sword back and walked away. Max was about to accompany him when he heard the leader speak out loud.

" _ **Keja sa ouin faybuh,"**_ commanded the leader.

Max just tilted his head to the side, signifying he had no idea what the other person was saying. The leader growled and was about to attack Max when Rikku intervened.

" _ **Cdub! Ra tuach'd ihtancdyht uin myhkiyka nasaspan?"**_ Rikku said.

She turned to Max, blushing and said "He wants your baton too. I'm also interested in it."

* * *

Max merely sighed, sheathed his baton back to small, and gave it to Rikku. Before giving it up, however, he pressed his thumb at the bottom of the sheath. It was a thumb scanner that would force his invention to cease working until he himself pressed it again, something he added on almost all his inventions. As they went back inside, Tidus and Max went towards the crates to lean back and rest. After making sure the coast was clear, Max turned off the recording device and went to work on decoding the language. After turning it on, he found out that there was no internet access. Frustrated that he couldn't access the international language sources, he decided to just cross reference what they heard to the memory banks on his computer. As he was typing, Tidus was making sure the crew didn't pop out again to surprise them.

"Did you get anything?" asked Tidus.

Max merely blew air out of his lips, shut his screen down, and replied, "No. I can't access the national database on languages due to the fact there seems to be no source of radio signals that my computer can detect. My own database doesn't have a match either since it mainly has the blueprints of all my inventions and notes on machines."

Tidus nodded and decided to lay back to nap. Max followed his example and closed his eyes.

* * *

 **Reviews are welcomed. For now, the storyline will be similar to canon. I can promise that some decisions that were in the game will have drastically different results, but that's further in the storyline. Also, I did post originally post two chapters, but I decided to combine them into one. Seemed like a cleaner choice.**


	6. Chapter 5 Zanarkands Gone?

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from FFX, and any lines from the game is theirs.**

* * *

After an hour, Max and Tidus woke up with a kick to the ribs, courtesy of Rikku. Wincing at the pain, both looked up to see Rikku with two trays. After setting it down in front of them, they saw it was full of food.

"Whoa! Right on," hollered Tidus. Max merely hooted out loud, "FOOD!"

Tidus dove into the food and was about to shove it in before Max stopped him. Irritated, he looked at Max, giving him the evil eye.

Max replied to it saying, "You were about to eat without pacing yourself. You can easily choke if you do that."

Grinning sheepishly, they both went at their food at a normal pace, enjoying the fact that food was finally in their system than the taste. After finishing it up, Tidus decided to pop a question at Rikku.

"Who are you people? You didn't answer Max's question earlier," Tidus inquired.

"We're Al Bhed," Rikku responded, "Can't you tell? Wait, you're not an Al Bhed hater are you?" She shifted her form, as if ready to defend herself.

Max tilted his head at this answer. "Al Bhed?" he echoed, "No idea what that is. What about you Tidus?" Tidus shook his head at this question.

At this Rikku seemed confused, and decided to ask another question, hoping to clarify the situation, "Where are you from?"

Both of them replied instantly, "Zanarkand." Tidus decided to add another line to the answer, "Star of the Zanarkand Abes."

Rikku automatically frowned at this answer and asked, "Did you guys hit your heads or something?"

Tidus and Max just gave Rikku the evil eye as they replied, "You guys were the ones who hit us."

Rikku looked abashed at this, and decided to continue forward, "Well do you two remember anything before that?"

* * *

Tidus and Max looked at each other, debating on whether to tell Rikku everything. After a few hidden gestures, they decided to tell her almost everything but left out Max's occupation and hobby. It seemed risky to let them know about that and Max didn't want his stuff confiscated, so they said that he was the strategist for their team as well as a backup player. As they finished their stories ending with their city being attacked by Sin, engulfed in some sort of light, and somehow ending up at the temple, they saw Rikku gazing away from them.

"Did we say something funny?" Tidus asked.

"You two were near Sin," She solemnly replied.

At this statement, Max and Tidus were confused and was about to ask the point of that before she continued.

"Don't worry, you two will be better in no time. They say your head gets funny when Sin is near. Maybe you two just had some kind of dream together?"

Both men responded instantly, "You mean I'm sick," said the duo together.

Rikku nodded, "Because of Sin's Toxin, yeah."

"You sure?" Tidus asked. Max merely shifted positions back to the crates again and opened his arm computer again while hiding it from Rikku. Tidus noticed what he was doing and so tried to keep Rikku focused on him. Luckily it wasn't hard.

"Yeah. There is no Zanarkand anymore, Sin destroyed it a thousand years ago. So... no one plays blitzball there," Rikku explained.

* * *

At this announcement, both Tidus and Max felt their stomachs drop. Max continued operating his arm computer while Tidus decided to grill Rikku for more answers.

"What do you mean, a thousand years ago?" he whispered, "But I saw Sin attack Zanarkand, and so did Max," he gestured, "You're saying that happened a thousand years ago? No way."

As he continued his conversation with Rikku, Max took a peek at his computer. He had run a diagnostic test on his body and had a sample of his blood analyzed with his computer. The results came back as negative for any foreign objects. Frowning at this result, he decided a more comprehensive exam was needed later on. He closed his computer and went back to where Tidus was, who seemed to have finished talking with Rikku. Rikku turned around to Max and instantly brightened.

Before he could figure out why, Rikku launched a series of questions at him again,"How did you build that weapon? Did you invent it yourself? I saw you use some sort of thunder spell but saw no source of magic. Did it come from the baton? What else do you have? Can I see your tools?"

She put on what she probably considered a cute face before switching to the deadly puppy eye maneuver.

Max had to close his eyes and wait a few seconds before slowly responding, "I'll answer your questions later. Right now I need to think about what happened in the past few hours and organize my thoughts from there. I also need Tidus to help me set some things straight."

* * *

Rikku pouted but decided to accept the answer for now. She went back inside, taking the trays with her. Max went to Tidus, leaning back on the railing and asked Tidus, "What else did you two talk about? I stopped listening after that thousand year statement."

Tidus gave Max the summary of how their "Zanarkand" was some sort toxin-driven dream, that they were headed to Luca in hope of finding someone they knew due to blitzball, how Zanarkand was a holy place by some religion called Yevon and shouldn't state out loud they were from there otherwise they would offend people. Max snorted at the mention of the holy place but quickly stashed that information away.

"I don't believe that our Zanarkand was some sort of dream. While you two were talking, I ran a quick blood test on myself, and the results came out negative of any foreign contaminants from its analysis. Sin could have some sort of hallucinogens on its body, but it shouldn't be enough to create 16-17 years of memories, otherwise we would be dead," said Max. Tidus looked relieved at the fact that Max was telling him that their Zanarkand was real.

* * *

As Max continue to wonder how they arrived here, he made up random theories of time travel or dimensional hopping, etc, Tidus just walked up to a crate. He began to get frustrated and ended up kicking the crate to relieve his anger. As soon as he did, the floor shook, causing both Max and Tidus to stumble and fall.

"Tidus! What did you do to make the floor hate me?!" wailed out Max.

Before Tidus could even retort, a huge splash of water erupted, causing the ship to rock. The door opened, and the crew came out, looking scared. One of them tumbled out due to the shock.

"SIN!" yelled out one of the members.

"Sin el lusa," cried out the other member.

"Ihtan ic! Ihtan ic!" yelled out the third member.

Both Max and Tidus looked out to the water to see what was happening. The water seemed to have calmed down until from behind another eruption of water appeared from the other side of the ship. The water landed on the ship, causing both Max and Tidus to lose their footing. They both fell overboard due to the force of the water.

As they were falling, Max cried out, "The floor really does hate me! It has abandoned me to the watery grave!"

"SHUT UP!" Titus yelled as he saw Rikku and her crew holding on to the railings for their lives. Suddenly, a whirlpool seemed to form under Tidus and Max, swallowing them. They lost consciousness and their visions turned black again.

* * *

 **Reviews are welcomed. Short chapter this time, but I felt like cutting it off here would be best. I promise next chapter will be longer than this one.**

 **Author's Note: I don't believe in the Sin's toxin theory too much. It was never fully explained. I looked it up and saw that the form of toxin did cause hallucination due to the fact there are excess pyreflies on sin's bodies. Since those pyreflies are also used in the farplane to conjure up a memory of someone whose dead, it would explain the hallucination. However, forgetting or losing your memory due to it seems to be stretched out. I think it's PTSD. (Post-traumatic stress disorder) Watching everyone die in front of you while you live is certainly traumatic enough.**

 **For those who don't know what pyreflies are, continue reading, it'll be explained in later chapters.**


	7. Chapter 6 New People and Recruitment

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFX or some of the lines used.**

* * *

Tidus woke up face down in the water. Struggling momentarily, he lifted his head up out of the water to breath before looking around. All he saw was blue water, the warm sun, the bright sky and some clean sand below the water level, a few meters below his feet.

"Rikku! Max!" he shouted, hoping they would respond.

When he didn't hear a response, his heart sank. He was alone this time, and he was worried about where Max was. He felt something hit his arm, so he turned around to move it away, just to notice it was Max's head. He was still unconscious, face up. Tidus sighed in relief, knowing at least he wouldn't be alone. Max had always somehow stuck with him, even through impossible scenarios like just before. Before he could wake him up, a round object with bumps on it hit him on the back of his head. The force of it caused him to hit his head on Max's forehead, causing him to wake up in pain.

As they both nursed their foreheads, Max complained, "Couldn't you have woken me up some other way instead of giving me concussions?"

Tidus merely squawked indignantly before turning around to see where the object had come from. He noticed a beach not far from them, and there were half a dozen people wearing what seemed to be a customized yellow dungaree. The waist to knee part had been replaced of two yellow straps before extending to the pants area. The people were wearing blue pants under the dungaree, finishing the outfit. As Tidus tried to get a clearer view of the people, the object that hit him floated by.. His eyes brightened as he saw that it was a blitzball.

* * *

"Heeey, you okay?" shouted a man that had orange coif hairstyle with a blue headscarf.

Like all the others, he was wearing the same clothes, but it seemed to have a bit of differences from the others.

Tidus shouted happily back, "Heeey!" before diving back into the water.

He positioned himself feet first onto the sandy bottom under the blitz ball before launching himself up. As he launched himself, he hit the blitzball with his forehead, causing it to rise up into the air with him. As he was in the air, he twisted his body once before doing another twist and a backflip at the same time. As he performed this trick, he slammed the blitzball with his right foot at the apex of his backflip arc towards the group of people. The ball flew towards the man who had called out to him at a high speed and spin on it. The man barely had time to dodge before the ball curved to the right and up into the air. The man didn't look angry at this shot, but rather amazed and happy.

As Tidus dove back down, Max merely grinned at this and said, "Show off."

Both Tidus and Max quickly swam to shore so see that the man earlier was talking to two other not dressed like them. Before they identified the two, they had already left. As the man turned back, they could see he had a bit of a stubble on his chin. He was taller than both of them, reaching around 6'2, muscled, and had a healthy tan skin with narrow brown eyes on his roundish face. His uniform was different from the rest of the other people. He had a vest instead of a dungaree that showed his stomach. He had baggy trouser that was blue at the waist to mid thigh, and yellow pant sleeves that gathered around his ankle. There was a yellow shoulder pad with a logo on it with a blue and yellow armguard over his left arm. Completing his outfit was open sandals, a silver stud earring on his left ear, and a silver dolphin necklace. He seemed surprised to see both Max and Tidus on the shores already, before masking it with a grin. As the group of people surrounded the duo, both of them could clearly see from their builds that they were blitzball players too, albeit not as fit as the Abes.

"Yo! Hiya!" said Tidus nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

Wakka stood there before hesitantly asking, "You wanna try that move one more time?"

Tidus grinned at this request before grabbing another blitzball that had been lying on the sand. The group quickly dispersed, giving him room to maneuver. He headed the ball once before doing a backflip, kicking the ball towards the ocean. The ball flew out hard, causing the water under the ball to slightly part away.

* * *

The group watched in awe at this shot before the man from before asked another question.

"You're no amateur. Who you play for?" Wakka asked.

Max could see Wakka was excited and wanted to recruit Tidus on the spot. Then he remembered Rikku's advice about Zanarkand, but before he could react, Tidus already responded, "The Zanarkand Abes."

The group of people started to murmur among themselves before Wakka asked skeptically, "What team you say again?"

Max replied quickly, "Sorry, our memories are a bit fuzzy. We were just near Sin and have no idea where this place is right now, or where we're from." Tidus glumly nodded at that statement.

The man looked gravely and solemnly said, "Sin's toxin got to you. But you two are still alive. Praise be to Yevon."

As he said that, he and the whole group swung their arms outwards first before swinging it in, crossing each arm before forming a circle at the stomach with their hands and bowing. Tidus and Max recognized it as the blitzball sign for victory, although it seemed slightly modified from their culture. Max felt a tic on his head at this gesture and thought, 'Are they showing the sign of victory for losing our memories or escaping Sin?'

He decided to keep quiet for now as he still did not know who or what Yevon was.

* * *

"All right back to practice," the man told the other players and introduced himself to the two, "I'm Wakka. Coach and captain of the Besaid Aurochs, brudda."

He held out his hand, grasping Tidus's as a hello gesture before doing the same to Max. Tidus and Max introduced themselves to Wakka before Tidus's stomach started to growl.

"What? You hungry?" asked Wakka, "All right back to the village, we'll get you two something."

Tidus nodded and the three of them headed towards the dense jungle.

As they walked, Tidus felt like he had to ask to make sure that Rikku's earlier statement was true.

"It's true that Zanarkand was destroyed right," he inquired, "A thousand years ago?"

Wakka merely gave him an interested look before responding, "Long time ago, there were a whole lot of cities in Spira. Big cities with machina -machines- to run 'em. People played all day and let the machina do the work. And then, well, take a look."

Max and Tidus looked at where Wakka had gestured and noticed the ruins that seemed to be scattered across the land. Both of them noted that this foreign world was named Spira.

Wakka continued to explain, "Sin came and destroyed the machina cities. And Zanarkand along with 'em. Yeah, that was about a thousand years ago, just like you said. If you asked me, Sin's our punishment for letting things get out of hand," at this point, he seemed to get angry, "What gets me, though...is we gotta suffer, 'cause of what some goofballs did way back when! Course, we must always repent for our sins! That's important! It's just that, it's hard to keep at it sometimes, you know?"

He seemed depressed at his ending statement, arousing sympathy from Max and Tidus. Max thought about Wakka's word and theorized in his brain that perhaps that Tidus and himself had somehow time-traveled as a likely theory. Tidus was depressed that this confirmed that Rikku hadn't lied about her statement, and for the first time, wished that Auron was here to explain everything that happened.

* * *

Wakka seemed to break out of his depression before putting his arm around Tidus and laughing, "But you from the Zanarkand Abes, that was a good one huh!"

He patted Tidus on the head before continuing his remark, "Hey, I'm not saying the team never existed, ya? But you gotta figure a team livin' in luxury like that'd be pretty soft eh?"

At this comment, both Max and Tidus felt insulted by Wakka. They were the Zanarkand Abes, best team in Zanarkand! Tidus had fought hard against others to reach his position, while Max held some pride as being their strategist. They knew Wakka was only trying to cheer Tidus up, but still wished he hadn't said it like that. Max took note on Wakka's personality that he seemed to be a bit tactless. As they continued to walk in silence, Tidus caught Max's eye and agreed that somehow, Sin was responsible for whisking them away from their homes.

They reach a fork on the road. Looking at Wakka, he gestured and said "Its this way," and took the path on the right. As Max and Tidus followed him only stop short on a cliff looking to see a large river. Max and Tidus were confused at this until Wakka snuck up behind them and push them in. Snickering at his own prank, he jumped in as soon as the two others surfaced. As they swam along the river's current, Max noticed that Wakka seemed to be analyzing both him and Tidus and thinking about something. They swam until they came to a shoreline, where Wakka pointed out that they would walk the rest of the way there. As they approached, Wakka came up to Tidus with a request.

"Got a favor to ask ya," Wakka requested. Tidus smirked, knowing that this request was coming. "You want me on your team, right?" replied Tidus.

Wakka scratched the back of his head sheepishly before he continued, "A major blitz tournament's coming up. All the teams in Spira'll be there! It's so huge, I'm sure someone there will recognize you! Then you can go back to your old team, right?It'll be fun!"

Wakka was trying to convince Tidus the benefits of joining his team before he decided to beg a little more, "What do you say, huh? Come on, come on!"

Tidus floated for a while solemnly, agreeing with the deal before he decided to add a condition. "Sure thing," he said, "but Max gets to come too. He's my team's adviser and chief strategist, and also an excellent blitzball player."

Max quickly turned around to Tidus, hoping he was joking, but on the look on his face, he wasn't. Wakka seemed ecstatic that he had another prospect that could join his team.

"Dude!" Wakka exclaimed, "Our team is gonna rock, eh?"

Max sighed, knowing that Tidus wouldn't change his mind about this and decided to go along with the deal.

* * *

 **Surprise! Had time to write this one. No, this does not count as part of my weekly update, so expect another chapter soon.**

 **Please do review if you get the chance to so I can see what to improve on. Is it too Ooc? Have a nice day.**


	8. Chapter 7 Arriving at Besaid Village

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFX**

* * *

As they walked, Max and Tidus could see a village just beyond a small outcropping. There was a few small buildings and a temple that seemed overshadowed them all. The buildings seemed to form a circle, with one exit and the temple directly across from it. Surrounding the village was plenty of trees and beyond that the ocean.

"This is where I was born," pointed out Wakka, " I started blitz when I was five. I joined the Aurochs at thirteen...ten years ago." His voice started to morose at this point. "Ten years...and we never won a game. Well, after last year's tournament, I quit. Time seemed right."

As he continued to walk away, both Tidus and Max's stomach started growling. Wakka didn't seem to notice and continued with his story, "So, after quitting, I got this new job, ya? "But every time my mind wandered, I thought about the game."

"Ten years without a win'll do that," replied Tidus. Max nodded before pondering, 'Wait, new job?'

"My first match last year was my big chance," responded Wakka, " But something else was on my mind. I couldn't focus." At this point, Max could sense an emotion that went beyond just losing a game, something that seemed like he was …. hurting.

"Nice excuse," rebutted Tidus, not noticing Wakka's change.

"Hey, Hey!" Wakka responded in a offended tone, before shaking it off.

* * *

Tidus went up to the outcropping, looking at the village with his back to Wakka before querying, "So you want to win the next tournament-go out with a bang." Wakka grunted in reply. "So, what's our goal?"

"I don't care how we do. Long as we play our best," said Wakka, "If we give it our all, I can walk away happy.".

Max frowned at this statement, while Tidus decided to vocally dissuade that notion.

"No, no, no, no, no. If I say 'What's our goal?' you say 'Victory!'" Tidus firmly insisted, "When you play in a blitzball tournament, you play to win!"

Wakka looked surprised at this proclamation. "Victory? You serious?" he asked skeptically.

Tidus nodded while Max decided to add his input to this. "You said you wanted to go off with something big. Having the mindset of just doing your best is expected of everyone, but if you want to win, you have to have the desire and let nothing else stand in your way. You got the players and the tools, now you need the mind to follow through. Plus what's sweeter than having the Aurochs win the cup, and showing everyone what you can do?"

* * *

As the trio walked forwards to the village, they encountered two men the Tidus and Max had seen Wakka talk to at the beach earlier.

"Ah," said the man with red combed hair and purple pants, "the one from the sea."

Behind him was a younger man with a man bun undercut hairstyle who seemed to be around Tidus's age, who wore white ripped shorts and green shirt.

"Be on guard. There're fiends on the road today!" warned the younger one.

"After surviving your run-in with Sin, 'twould be a shame if something happened now," said the older one.

They left for the village shortly after giving the warning.

Confused, Tidus decided to ask, "Who are they?"

"Luzzu and Gatta—Crusaders," replied Wakka.

"Crews of what?" responded Tidus. Max also tilted his head, although he knew Wakka said crusaders, he didn't know who they were.

"What, you forgot that too?" Wakka asked.

Tidus sagged his head down while Max nodded.

* * *

Max then decided to add, "Just treat Tidus and me like someone who's like a foreigner, someone who doesn't know your traditions at all. It'll be easier than always asking if we remember it. If we do remember, any words or gestures will most likely unlock what we forgot." Max was betting that Wakka would be nice enough to do this.

Wakka looked at this request suspiciously before relenting.

"Alright, I'll help you two out," acknowledged Wakka

Tidus grinned and replied, "Cool. In return, come tournament time, I'll make sure we take the cup!"

"Cool," Wakka echoed, "If you want to know more about the Crusaders, you can ask them yourselves. They've got a lodge in this village."

As they finally reached the village, both Max and Tidus looked around to see that the houses were primitive compared to their Zanarkand, and the fashion for clothes also looked very different.

"Besaid village," Wakka proudly stated, "We'll get you two some food over there at my place later. Take a look around first. Let's see... the Crusaders Lodge is over yonder (he points at a building near the temple, left from it at their point of view), Luzzu and Gatta are usually over there."

He started to walk away towards his house, but then stopped, as if remembering something. He quickly dragged Tidus and Max behind the perimeter wall so as not to be seen by others.

* * *

"You two do remember the prayer right?" asked Wakka, with his face full of worry.

At this, Tidus and Max just tilted their head in confusion and stared at Wakka before saying they didn't know any prayers. Sighing, Wakka muttered a quick curse before looking back at them.

"You... must have forgot or something. Here, I'll show you," he said.

As Wakka did the modified blitzball victory sign again, both Max and Tidus looked at each before they looked back at Wakka. This was a prayer? The sign for victory had somehow been twisted in time to become some sort of prayer? Stifling a laughter, they made a show of doing the prayer like Wakka had done.

"Hey, not bad," Wakka praised, "Okay, now go present yourself to the temple summoner."

As he left for his house, Max decided it was a chance to discuss with Tidus about what to do now.

"Well, I suppose the best way, for now, is to adjust to this life for now," said Max seriously, "I think it's best if we keep quiet about our world and also not mention that I specialize in technology."

"Huh?" questioned Tidus, "Why not?"

"I get the feeling that machines aren't welcomed too much in this world from Wakka's explanation from earlier," answered Max, "It's just safer if we don't talk about it in public, especially my arm computer." He uneasily raises his hand to it, as if afraid of it disappearing. Tidus automatically understands the importance and decides to agree.

* * *

As they went into the crusader's lodge, they saw the two men from earlier, Luzzu and Gatta, sitting at a table. Before the two could look at what else was in the lodge, the younger boy, Gatta, saw them and started to demand information.

"Hey, you two!" interrogated Gatta, "You guys were attacked by Sin...right? Recently was it?"

"I think so," replied Tidus.

So, Sin can't be far, right?" theorized Gatta, You're not hiding anything, are you?"

Max responded sadly, "Sorry, we really don't know anything. In fact, we don't even know what the Crusaders are."

Gatta looked at them disbelieving and said, "You're kidding, right?"

Luzzu quickly rebuked Gatta by reminding him, "Sin! The toxin!" Gatta looked down in shame after this reproach as Luzzu continued saying, "Gatta, tell him who we are."

Gatta stood up proud, saluted, and proudly stated, "Yes, sir! The Crusaders are sworn to battle Sin! We have chapters throughout Spira, accepting all who wish to join our struggle! The hero Mi'ihen formed the Crusaders eight hundred years ago as the Crimson Blades. Later, our ranks grew and we called ourselves the Crusaders. We've been fighting Sin ever since!"

"What, eight hundred years and you still haven't defeated it?" blurted out Tidus.

Gatta started to stammer at this question until Luzzu decided to intervene.

"Well, we've steered Sin away from towns many times!" stated Luzzu, " And that's all we can do. Nobody's ever been able to defeat it. Our mission as Crusaders is to protect the temples, towns, villages, and people of Spira."

Tidus looked surprised and inquired, "Then whose job is it to defeat it?"

Luzzu and Gatto shared a look among themselves, with Gatta asking, "Is Sin's toxin really that bad?"

Max winced at this comment. He felt like it wasn't even fair that they really didn't have anything in their bloodstream that could be considered foreign, and they were completely new to this world.

Luzzu answered, "It does seem rather bad... We could tell you, but I think it's better for you to try and remember. Go pray at the temple. Perhaps Yevon will jog your memory. "

* * *

Yevon. That word again. It seemed to be synonymous with this world's religion. Seeing that they wouldn't get anymore information, Max and Tidus decided to leave the lodge. They explored the village and talked to other villagers, hoping to glean a bit more information before they finally decided to head into the temple. As they were walking to the temple, they were discussing about the information they had uncovered. An old man was nice enough to tell them about the basics of Spira.

As they walked, Tidus told Max, "Well I know Sin's a monster, and that this Zanarkand was destroyed a thousand years ago due to being punished for using too much machines, or machina as they call it here, and that the toxin is suppose to make you forget stuff. I guess we can use the toxin as a cover, even if we really don't have it.

Max nodded and said, "I gathered more information about this religion called Yevon. It's suppose to be this world's only religion, something almost everyone apparently prays to. It's their only hope of getting rid of Sin apparently by praying to it." They arrived at the temple doors when they finished exchanging information. Taking a deep breath, they stepped in the temple.

* * *

 **Hello again everyone. Granted this chapter is a little short, but I felt like stopping here would be a good point. Please review if you can to improve my story. Also, on a side note, Yaa I hit past 500 views.**


	9. Chapter 8 Into the Temple and Chamber

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFX and some fo its lines.**

 **Reviews are welcomed. Shout out to** **courtbless28 and Yunacorn for reviewing.**

* * *

They noticed that there were a lot of statues when they stepped into the temple. The circular room they had stepped in had statues lined up on the walls. People were praying to different statues, somehow all holding some sort of significance. The temple had a lot more decorations adorned all over the place, and yet it was dimly lit by a few torches. Directly opposite of the entrance there seemed to be stairs that led somewhere. Tidus decided to approach one of the statues that were two statues from the right of the stairs. As he looked at it, a voice cut through his thought process. It was a bald man wearing some long colorful robes who seemed to be a priest.

"Ten years have passed since Lord Braska became high summoner. And finally we receive a statue for our temple," the man said as if explaining the statue's significance.

"What's a high summoner?" was Tidus's automatic response.

At this response, all the people in the temple gasped at this. Quickly looking for a way out, he automatically used the toxin excuse, which seemed to appease everyone.

'It was funny hearing myself make the same excuse over and over. Funny, and a little sad,' reflected Tidus. Max seemed to have the same thought process, although was a little scared how people easily accepted that excuse.

* * *

"The summoners are practitioners of a sacred art, sworn to protect the people of Yevon," explained the priest, "Only a chosen few become summoners, who call forth entities of great power: the aeons. The aeons hear our prayers and come down to us. They are the blessing of Yevon."

He did a prayer to the statue, as did the others who decided to follow his lead. Tidus figured that this just meant they needed to respect some great men. Max was more focused about the aeons. Power? Blessing of Yevon? Max and Tidus decided to head back to Wakka's place in hopes of getting food. As they entered, they could see Wakka sitting down, as if waiting for something. Their hopes were dashed when Wakka told them lunch wasn't ready.

"Take a nap! You two look bushed," suggested Wakka.

Tidus was about to say no when he suddenly yawned. Agreeing, he went ahead to the bed to lay down.

Wakka looked at Max, remembering he only had one bed. He was about to suggest sleeping that the Crusader's lodge when Max asked, "Is there a blacksmith area around here?"

Wakka looked confused at this statement and asked why.

"I need to make some weapons for me and a sword for Tidus. I don't feel entirely safe being unarmed. Is there some metal here too?" Max clarified.

"Sorry, no such thing here on this island. Maybe in Kilika, though more likely in Luca is there one. Don't worry about a weapon, I have a sword I have laying around for Tidus. For you, I'm sure we can find something from the Crusaders."

Max shook his head, "The sword would be great for Tidus, but I prefer to make my own weapon. I'm not a fan of close range combat."

Wakka narrowed his eyes and interrogated, "What type of weapon are you making?"

The reply was, "A bow and some arrows." This answer instantly relaxed Wakka and didn't hear Max add some words at the end quietly "for now." He later added, "Can I use the trees around this area then?"

"Yea, go ahead. As long as you don't cut some specific trees, you're fine. Just ask before you cut." Wakka advised.

Max nodded and went to look for an axe and some trees, muttering about what to use as bowstrings. As he left, Tidus was already feeling drowsy and was about to sleep when a priest came in.

"You could at least go see how they are doing," said the priest.

"Wakka can't interfere, it's a rule." replied Wakka weakly.

"But, it's been nearly..." said the priest. At this point, Tidus had fallen asleep. Those words, however, followed him into his dream, causing a memory to appear.

* * *

 _Flashback_

" _It's been nearly a day already," said a man in uniform at a boathouse  
A woman was crying and begging, "Perhaps you could go look for us."  
"People are searching for him now," the man replied and left.  
The woman had her face covered with her hands and crying, "Thank you"  
A young Tidus showed up, with an angry looking face.  
"Who cares whether he comes back or not?" scoffed Tidus._

 _The woman, who was obviously Tidus's mother, looked horrified at this statement. "But he might die!" said his mother as she kneeled down to look at Tidus in the face. "Fine, let him!" Tidus uttered out, his face scrunching._

 _"Do you…Do you hate him so?" asked her mother. Tidus merely nodded. As if the last-ditch effort to convince him not to let his father go so easily, she hesitantly adds, "If he dies, you'll never be able to tell him how much you hate him."_

 _Flashback ends_

* * *

Tidus woke up right after that flashback with a slight jolt. He groggily called out for Wakka but heard no answer. Quickly looking around, he saw he was alone. A pot with a note on it saying to go ahead and eat it was left out on the table. Quickly realizing how hungry he was, he went ahead and ate it. It was a simple stew, but it was enough for Tidus. While he was eating, Max came in and saw the food and quickly helped himself to it too. After they finished eating, they decided to see where Wakka was. Max had seen him enter the temple, but was busy trying to make his weapon to follow. They went into the temple to see Wakka and a priest talking in front of the stairs. As they approached them, the priest walked away with a frustrated aura around him.

"Is something wrong?" questioned Tidus.

"The summoner hasn't returned from returned from the trial yet," replied Wakka worriedly.

Max and Tidus looked at Wakka confused. What trial?

"Well, apprentice summoner, really," supplemented Wakka. At this, both Max and Tidus frowned at this but were still confused. Wakka must have seen this as he started to give an explanation.

"There's a room in there called the Cloister of Trials. Beyond is where the apprentice summoner prays. If the prayer is heard, the apprentice becomes a fully-fledged summoner, remember? " explained Wakka.

Max just nodded at this information while Tidus summarized, "So someone's in there somewhere, and they haven't come back out. Right, I got it."

Max added, "So how long has it been?"

"A day's already gone by," replied Wakka.

Tidus frowned and asked, "Is it particularly dangerous in there?"

Sometimes, yes," Wakka replied.

Tidus looked at Wakka quizzically and asked, "Why don't you go in and help."

Wakka's automatic reply was, "There's already guardians in there. Besides, it's forbidden."

Max curled his nose and said, "It's forbidden to help someone?"

Tidus was already up the stairs, "But what if something happens? What if the summoner dies?"

The priest snapped a reply, "The precepts must be obeyed!"

Tidus ignored this and charged in without a care, causing the people that had gathered around to gasp. Max merely sighed and waltzed up the stairs. At this point, the priest looked like he about pulled his hair out as his already bald head.

"Where you going?" challenged Wakka.

"Someone's gotta keep on eye on Tidus, and obviously, you're not going to." was the reply as Max walked into the trials.

* * *

Tidus stood inside a room, confused at what he was doing. 'Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all' thought Tidus as he stood there. He turned around as if to exit when Max came in.

"You followed me?" Tidus asked.

"Someone had to help you. Also, I really don't want to be left alone with all those people. They know I'm with you, and I don't feel like answering questions or being stared at vehemently." replied Max.

Tidus scratched the back of his head in embarrassment before looking back at a wall. It was glowing with a glyph on it. He touched it, and soon another glyph appeared on their right. Max touched this one, and soon a passageway was revealed.

"This must be the Cloister of Trials they were talking about. Looks like a huge puzzle." analyzed Max.

They continued down the passage and found a few orbs. After a few placements and arguments on where to go, they finally solved it. At this point, Wakka had caught up to them.

"Hey," yelled Wakka, "What's gotten into you two?

Max merely glanced at Wakka while Tidus blushed a little.

"Hey, it's okay." Wakka walked forward and stood next to them at the room where Tidus had pushed a pedestal in, where it had sunk on the floor. "Only summoners, apprentice summoners, and their guardians can enter here. It's a tradition. Very important."

"So what about you?" challenged Tidus.

"Me, I'm a guardian," Wakka smirked.

* * *

Max frowned at this and said, "Don't know what a guardian is, but why didn't you enter in earlier? You were clearly allowed to do that and yet you hesitated to enter to see if the apprentice summoner was alright." The floor started to move down, making Tidus and Max realize this was a lift.

Wakka looked sheepish and explained to both of them, "Summoners go on a pilgrimage to pray at every temple in Spira. Guardians protect them. The guardians in there now…One of them's got a short fuse, and who knows what the other's thinking. Well, now that we've come this far…might as well go all the way!"

The lift stopped at another floor, and they walked forward. As they were walking, Tidus and Max heard some sort of chant or music. Both felt they had heard this somewhere, but couldn't place it.

They were soon at the end of the passageway where they saw two other people waiting inside a dimly lit room with strange designs all over. In front of them was another pair of stairs leading to some shield that acted as a door. The two people was a woman and some huge bipedal beast. The woman wore a low cut black dress that had fur trimmings along the breast area. The sleeves and hem had some sort of ornate lace edges She wore lace stockings, but her legs were covered with what seemed to be many belts interlaced, making Tidus and Max wondered how she moved or even dressed. Her hairstyle was braided in cornrows that lead to a bun and long braids. At the bun, there were four ornate pins at it. Her bangs were slighted to the left, allowing them to only see one red eye. Her long black hair reached seemed to reach her waist. The thing that probably caught Tidus and Max's attention the most was that her breasts seemed to be easily spilling out of her dress, that a slight wardrobe malfunction would lead to many men having bloody noses. She had many accessories, such as three different size necklaces, rings, and earrings. A sexy lady with an air of elegance. The beast was another story, though. It didn't even seem human. Standing clearly a head level above Wakka. Based on its tribal skull wear, they could guess that it was a male. He had blue fur and white hair, some of it braided in the front. A broken horn stood on his forehead, and his calm yellow eyes seemed to gaze through them.

* * *

The woman rose from sitting on the steps, giving Wakka scornful look, before saying, "What are you doing here? Didn't think we'd be able to handle it?"

Wakka merely slapped his forehead with a hand before trying to respond. "No, it's just... uhh..." he stammered. His wild gestures didn't help calm himself either. The woman seemed to be even angrier and started to stalk forward to Wakka.

"See, I told you she gets mad easily," as he nudged Tidus. Tidus, however, was paying attention to the tall blue person. The person gave Tidus a glance before looking away.

As the woman stopped in front of Wakka, Tidus forged on ahead, "Is the summoner all right?"

The woman looked at Tidus as if finally noticing him for the first time, and scoffed out, "Who are you?" She had a myriad of emotions running through her face before keeping a stern visage, though Tidus saw shock or hope in her eyes for some reason.

She later looked and saw Max with his back on the wall, and gave an irritated look at his attitude. Before Tidus could give an answer, the shield made a noise and started to rise. As it rose, they could see a silhouette stumbling out from the room filled with a light. As Max and Tidus got closer, they noticed the summoner was rather short, perhaps 5'3. As the light from the room dimmed, they took a good look at...her.

* * *

Tidus was a bit surprised that the summoner was a young girl while Max looked intrigued. She wore a purple pleated, flower-patterned dress; black boots; a black spaghetti-string camisole under a white sash that wrapped around her neck and over her chest. The outfit was completed with aa yellow patterned obi with a huge knot in the back and two separate, kimono-like sleeves complete the outfit. The summoner had shoulder-length brunette hair and wore a blue-beaded earring on her right ear and a necklace. Her face seemed to have a calm and gentle demeanor and was beautiful. Max took a glance at Tidus and noticed he had been star-struck by the summoner.

'Love at first sight. Poor Tidus, all those time flirting with other girls and this one take his breath away easily without doing anything,' Max giggled in his mind. The summoner seemed to still have her eyes closed as she stumbled forward to the stairs. She suddenly looked like she was about to fall forward, causing them to all gasp. Tidus was already moving to save her when he noticed that the blue man had already rushed forward, catching her as she fell. With calm gentleness, he slowly helped the summoner back up on her feet. The summoner moved her hair back with a flick of her hands before looking out at them. Max and Tidus saw she had a blue left eye and a green right eye, signifying she had heterochromia.

With a tired but jubilant face, she spoke, "I've done it. I have become a summoner!"

They exited the trials and were met with a crowd of people, who cheered as soon as they saw the summoner. They did the prayer gesture, which the summoner returned, and they all went out of the temple. Max and Tidus stood side by side, still inside the temple and just wondering about this new world. The priest was giving them death glares before sighing, telling them that in light of a new summoner, he would forget this transgression, and warned them not to do it again. Wakka motioned for Tidus and Max to quickly follow them outside. They could see a crowd had formed in a semi-circle at the middle of the village, with the girl at the center carrying a staff. Wakka dragged Tidus to the front, while Max decided to stand on an elevated ground to see over everyone's head. He called out to Yuna and teld her to go ahead, which she looked back and nodded.

* * *

She took a deep breath before walking forward, away from the crowd. She takes a slow sweeping motion with her hands before clasping both hands onto her staff at head height before bringing it down to stomach height. In one swift movement, she brings her right hand with the staff to the back, raising it high while lower her left in the front. Her right legs slide with the right hand. At this, lights and symbols suddenly surround the summoner. Four beams of lights rose up to the skies and gathered in the heavens above. A bright flash and the clouds parted, and a majestic bird-like creature swooped down from the skies. Its had red feathers all around its neck and waist. The huge leathery wings spanned out, and a series of rings could be seen hanging from the right front ring. A long purple tail and sharp purple talons could be seen. Finishing it off, it had a long torso, like a human body, and its head was like a bird with some sort of ponytail on its back. The summoner warily approached the summon before reaching out with her hand. The summon lowered its head to allow the girl to scratch its neck, radiating an aura of gentleness around it. She turned around, her face full of joy as she was quickly approached by Wakka and the woman wearing the black dress. Yells of encouragement and cheers could be heard all over the village. The summon, as if obeying an unheard command, flew back up and away from the village, into the heavens and disappearing.

Still shocked, Tidus just watched the summoner being congratulated while not moving. Max had moved next to Tidus, looking in interest at the summoner. Wakka approached both of them with a big smile on his face.

"That was something, ya?" he asked both of them.

"Amazing," was Max's reply.

"It was something," acknowledged Tidus. "What is that, though?"

"You don't remember?" Wakka asked, clearly hoping that this summon would 'move something' in their memory.

"Like I said Wakka, just treat us like foreigners, and we'll tell you if we remember," Max grumbled.

Wakka grunted and said, "That was Valefor, the aeon in this temple. Aeons differ from each temple, but they all come from Yevon. At this temple, this aeon represents emptiness. Only summoners can summon aeons." He did a prayer gesture as he explained.

"So that's an aeon," murmured Tidus. He remembered hearing the priest talking about summoning great entities of power, but was too distracted to realize the connection.

"Well then," exclaimed Wakka, "Tonight, we celebrate the birth of a new summoner!"

* * *

 **Well, this was a longer chapter than I expected. Originally had this split into two, but decided combining them would be better. Soon, there's going to be some battles I get to describe, and I hope you'll like them.**

 **Also as a reminder, I update this weekly. This is more because I do work, and I take some time proofreading my own work.**

 **Lastly, Valefor does represent emptiness if you look at the characters in the Besaid temple. The kanji used is mu, which is emptiness. Look up Wiki if you have trouble understanding why.**


	10. Chapter 9 Meeting Yuna

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFX.**

 **Yaa I hit pass 1000 views. As a celebration, here's a new chapter. Please review if possible.**

* * *

As night came upon the village, the villagers were out surrounding the bonfire that had been made in the middle of the village. People were drinking and merrily chatting with each other. A small group was gathered around the summoner, praising her. Tidus and Max were introduced to the rest of the Aurochs.

"Jassu and Botta are our defensive line, Datto plays offense, Letty and I switch between center and offense, and Keepa's our goalkeeper," Wakka said.

Max was already taking notes on how their physicals looked and was thinking if anything needed to be changed. He already had plans for Tidus to play his usual position in the offense but was thinking who to switch with. As he was thinking, Wakka went ahead to introduce the team to them, hanging his arms around them

"These guys here wants into the tournament so bad, I let them on the team. Their memory's a little fuzzy, so don't mind them if they say anything odd!" asserted Wakka.

He pushed them forward, creating a slightly awkward atmosphere. Both parties mumbled out greetings before Tidus decided to take charge.

"So what's our goal?"challenged Tidus.

"To do our best!" called out the Aurochs. Max made a tsk noise while Tidus scoffed and looked at Wakka. Clearly, they hadn't received the memo yet.

Wakka knew it was his turn to speak out, "Nope, we got a new goal now! Our new goal…is victory! To win every match, defeat every opposing team! To bring the Crystal Cup back to our island! That's all we need to do to win! Easy, ya?"

The Aurochs were uncertain at first, but as soon they murmured victory in their mouths, it soon became a chant. The chant became louder and united as the Aurochs grew in confidence, and was soon shouting it out altogether. Tidus was distracted when he saw the summoner. Mesmerized, he stared at her for awhile until she turned her head and saw Tidus looking at her. Embarrassed, he quickly turned his head away just to see Max with a grin on his face. Brushing off Max's teasing grin, he focused on what the Aurochs were still doing.

"Hey Wakka," asked Max, "Do you guys have any strategies or plays developed or know how the opposing teams play?"

Wakka looked confused at this, before citing that they never made done that before, that it was done on the fly. Tidus winced at this statement while Max face-palmed. Maybe victory wouldn't be so easy after all. Max decided to drag all the Aurochs, including Wakka, to the side and pulled out a stick to draw on the ground. He was going to drill them about different plays and strategies for a while also grilling Wakka about all the other teams that would be playing and other relevant information he could use to formulate plans.

* * *

Max excused Tidus from this, since he already knew all the basics and hand signals, as they were most likely going to use their Abe's play style for the Aurochs, even if it needed some modifications.

"Why don't you go ahead and talk to the summoner? I know your interested and plus it would be useful to learn more about her and this world," insisted Max.

Tidus decided to follow that advice while punching Max on the shoulder for that comment. As he approached her, the group of people suddenly went silent.

"Stay away from the summoner, you heathen!" exclaimed an old man and woman harshly.

The group of people formed a line, as to protect the summoner. Tidus was taken aback by this treatment and was about to turn around back to Max when a voice rang out. He turned around to see the summoner had stood up and was walking towards him.

"Lady Yuna, please be careful," warned an old man.

"But, it was really my fault to begin with," was the answer she gave. She walked over to Tidus, who was standing still, a bit shy about the small conflict earlier.

"I'm Yuna," she introduced herself.

"Tidus," was his only reply for the while.

"Thank you so much for your help earlier," as she bowed down.

Tidus felt awkward on this. He hadn't really helped much and had actually caused trouble for the people here. Yet, she was thanking him for running inside somewhere he wasn't supposed to be.

"Huh? Ah… I'm sorry about that," he apologized, "Wasn't that… Wasn't I not supposed to… Guess I…kind of overreacted." He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

"Oh, no. I was…overconfident," she replied earnestly. Both of them stood silent for awhile, trying to grasp at something to talk about.

"Um, I saw that aeon thing, that's amazing!" said Tidus, hoping it would absolve this situation. Luckily, Yuna grasped at it very quickly.

"Really? You think I can become high summoner?" she asked eagerly. Tidus nodded, happy to be talking to her. At this point, both heard a voice cut through both of them.

"What do you mean you don't know whose on the other teams or how they play!? What type of organization skills do you have? At least remember something significant about your loss! Who shot the most goals out of each team!"

Both of them looked to see Max shouting over a cowering Wakka, while the rest of the Aurochs weren't sure what to do or were too busy memorizing the tactics Max had drilled in them.

"That's Max, he's with me," said Tidus sheepishly. Yuna looked at him before chuckling a bit. Tidus thought it was one of the cutest things he heard.

* * *

"Lady Yuna, come play with me some more!" said a girl who suddenly appeared next to her.

Yuna nodded to the child and went with her. Before she left, she turned her head to Tidus to finish the conversation.

"So, tomorrow, then?" she asked. Tidus was confused and echoed her, "Tomorrow?"

"We're going on the same boat, aren't we?" she said.

"Oh, really?" he replies earnestly.

"We can talk more. You can tell me all about Zanarkand!" she exclaims.

As she walked away back to the group, Wakka came up next to Tidus.

"Did you finish your lecture with Max?" Tidus grinned. Wakka winced and decided to ignore that snark comment, instead asking another question.

"She's cute ya."

Yeah!" was the reply.

"Don't get any ideas," Wakka warned. Tidus was confused at this. Why ask if you didn't even want to hear that answer?

"No promises there, big guy," replied Tidus, "Hey, but what if she, like, comes on to me?"

"That's not going to happen," said Wakka curtly, effectively ending the conversation there. A brief silence lasted between them before Wakka returned to his cheerful personality.

"Let me know if you get tired, I had a bed made for you," said Wakka before Max came up to him again and dragged him back to the strategy meeting.

* * *

Tidus had the strangest dream in his opinion. First, he dreamed of meeting Yuna at the docks alone. She was asking him to take her to Zanarkand. He was going to agree until Rikku came into the picture somehow. She told them that Wakka had warned him not to get any ideas, and therefore should take her instead. Jecht came in the dream sequence and started belittling him, causing his little self to cry until the two girls encouraged him. In the end, Tidus woke up yelling, "I hate you!" out loud.

He looked around, hoping he didn't disturb anyone in the Crusader's lodge he was sleeping in with Max. Luckily, Max didn't seem to have been bothered by his yelped and merely grunted.

Tidus was about to head back to sleep when he heard a voice cut through the night,

"He's dead, okay? Dead!"

Curious, he peeked out the lodge to see Wakka talking with the black dressed lady near the bonfire. He had found out earlier that her name was Lulu while he was talking to the Aurochs in the party.

"He does look a lot like Chappu. I was surprised, too, the first time I saw him," Lulu's face softened at the name she says, and then hardens. "But no matter what he looks like, he isn't Chappu. You shouldn't have brought him here in the first place!"  
"Yeah, but…he needed our help!" Wakka stammered back  
"Excuses again?" Lulu pressed on  
"Yeah, but…," He weakly replied  
"That's it. No more. Enough, Wakka!" Lulu shouted before stomping away.

Wakka raised his hand as to come up with something, but Lulu was gone already. Raising both hands to his face, he sighed into them before turning back to the Crusader's lodge. He opened the tent flaps before giving a yelp when he saw Tidus standing at the side.

* * *

"Scary," commented Tidus, "So who's Chappu?" he asked.

"My little brother, Chappu. He looked like you," Wakka said, with his face masked in misery  
"He's dead?" Tidus was aghast  
Wakka merely continued, "He was with the Crusaders when they fought Sin last year. He didn't make it. I first heard on the day of the tournament."  
Tidus felt bad for his earlier barb about the big chance, "Oh, so that's why."  
"I became a guardian to fight Sin, ya?" said Wakka.  
"Revenge, then?" Tidus input his thought in.  
"That was the idea," Wakka admitted, "But…I'm more worried about a stupid game now than avenging my brother. Well, after the next tournament, I'll be a guardian full-time. I know it kinda looks like I'm using you and Max, but I'm not."  
"Don't worry," Tidus said quickly, "I mean, we owe you a lot. You really helped us out, you know? What I mean is… thanks, Wakka. _"_ He held out his hand to Wakka for a handshake.  
Feeling embarrassed, Wakka waved his hands and said, "Heh. Stop, you're embarrassing me!"

Getting sleepy, both of them turned in for the night.

Tidus woke up with the sun shining into his face. Looking around, he saw that he was alone in the lodge beside the attendant. Quickly getting cleaned up, he left the lodge to see Wakka and Lulu waiting at the village center.

"Yo, sleepy head," Wakka called out, "Got something I want to give you."

He brought out a shimmering light blue sword from behind his back. The design was similar to his father's gift, but the material seemed different. He could see that the blade looked like it had bubbles in it and didn't look like it was made from regular steel. The guard of the sword had a blue and black design to it on one side only. The pommel of the sword had a red cloth tied to it with a yellow grip.

"Whoa! You're giving this…to me?" Tidus asked, surprised at this gift.

Wakka nodded "Yeah, use it well!"

Tidus took the sword with both hands and gave a few experimental swings before smiling. The sword was similar to his father's gift but lighter. He could feel that it was more durable than it, though.

"That's the sword you gave Chappu," Lulu commented lightly after seeing Tidus with it.

Tidus turned his head to Lulu and saw the edges of her lip tighten. He remembered the conversation from last night about how he reminded them both of Chappu and felt a bit bad. "Well, he never used it," Wakka commented offhandedly.

* * *

Max came out from some trees and met up with the rest of them. Tidus suddenly realized that Max didn't have a weapon on hand, and was about to ask when he saw something on Max's back. Max saw his glance and smirked before reaching out from behind and pulling out a simple but well-crafted longbow. A leather crafted quiver of thirty self-made stone-head arrows hung from his back. Both Lulu and Wakka seemed impressed at Max's ability to create weapons, but Tidus knew that Max wasn't happy with his current weapon as he deemed it too 'crude'.

"Where'd you get the string from?" asked Wakka, to which the curt reply was "fishing lines."

Wakka looked around and asked, "Where's Yuna?"  
"We're taking the same boat as Yuna, right?" Tidus inquired, "Why do we gotta wait here?"  
"Yuna came to this village ten years ago, when the last Calm started," explained Wakka.  
"The Calm?" Tidus and Max asked. Wakka seemed to ignore this question and continued with his story.  
"Since then, she's been like a little sister to me and Lulu. But she had the talent…She became an apprentice. Now, today, she leaves as a summoner."  
"This is our journey…We should leave together." Lulu added. Then all of them saw Yuna coming out of the temple struggling to drag a suitcase.  
Lulu calls out to her, "You really don't need all that luggage."  
"Ah… They're not really my things. They're gifts for the temples we're to visit," she tried to explain.  
"This isn't a vacation, Yuna," Wakka said sternly  
"I guess…I guess you're right," she replied sadly. Max and Tidus frowned at her face, before conspiring with each other. Before long, some of the more important items in the suitcase was placed in travel bags that Max had made from spare tent flaps. It had taken some time convincing Lulu and Wakka to allow Yuna some items, but they managed. Tidus carried a travel bag slung across his back while his sword was tied to his waist. Max had a bag on his bag across the quiver, forming an x with it. Wakka carried two bags on his back while carrying a blitzball, something that confused Max and Tidus. Lulu didn't carry anything but had a moogle doll in her arm. Both wondered why the two didn't seem to carry some sort of weapon but left it alone. Yuna wanted to carry one, insisting that it was her package, but all three boys declined, saying it didn't weigh much, so she ended up only carrying her staff.

"Okay! Off we go!" Wakka cheered, signifying the start of the journey. It was at that moment, everything that had happened would start from here.

* * *

 **Andd Cut! Well like I said this is a celebratory chapter and so will not count as part of the weekly chapter, so expect another on Saturday or Sunday! Thanks for reading, and review or comment on my story.**


	11. Chapter 10 Leaving Besaid Village

**As usual, I don't own FFX. Review if you can, Thanks**

* * *

As they were all walking away from the village, they met a few fiends. A wolf-like fiend came to attack.

"Hey, why don't ya try out that sword I gave you?" Wakka commented. Tidus nodded and rushed forward to the fiend. The fiend tried to bite Tidus, but he was too agile and dodged before slicing the head off, causing the fiend to disperse into lights.

"Not too shabby! You kept up with him pretty well. Might make a good guardian someday," Wakka commented. A flying pelican-like fiend flew forward this time.

"A flyer! My kind of customer!" Wakka said happily. He threw his blitzball right into its face with a satisfying thud, causing the fiend to also disperse. The ball rebounded back to Wakka's hand, causing Tidus to admire his fight style. Another flying fiend came forward to attack Wakka. Just as Wakka was about to wind up, an arrow shot right in the fiends head. The fiend dispersed, letting the arrow clatter on the ground. While Wakka was surprised at this sudden shot, Max just smirked as he picked up his arrow and put it back into his quiver.

As they continued up the hill, a watery jello-like fiend crawled forward. Tidus tried to rush it but found out that his sword merely phased through the fiend. Max held back from shooting as he figured piercing it wouldn't be effective either.

"Only magic can beat that thing. If you can't beat 'em down, you gotta use the magic of an element they don't like," Wakka commented. Both Max and Tidus were curious about magic since they had never seen it before.

"Let's have our black mage show you what I mean. Lu! You're up!"

Lulu stepped forward, explaining about the basic of magic and elements for Max and Tidus. Wakka explained that the doll in Lulu's arm helped focus and channel her magic. As the flan tried to cast a spell, Lulu raised an arm up already. As she brought it down, a lightning bolt struck down from the clear skies. As the fiend dispersed, both were impressed. As they continued up the hill, Max walked next to Lulu.

"Hey, Lulu, got a request to ask you," said Max. Intrigued at what he could want, Lulu nodded for the question.

"Can you teach me black magic? Especially the lightning spells. I don't mind being unable to cast the others, but I want to learn how to use lightning magic," Max asked.

Lulu was surprised at this request. It took many days of hard work for a person to even learn how to utilize magic properly, and here a person was asking to teach her.

"Why do you want to learn black magic?" Lulu asked suspiciously.

"It would be nice to be able to cast some spells if you can't do it for some reason." was the reply. Lulu frowned at this reason but found no real reason to refuse. She began to lecture about the theory of magic while they proceeded forward.

* * *

Soon, they came to the top of the cliff watching over the village. Yuna paused to look over the village, which caused both Max and Tidus to look back confused. Why were they stopping, didn't they have a boat to catch? Tidus went to ask Wakka, which his stern reply was to wait without saying a reason. After awhile, Yuna seemed to have finished and joined them again. They stopped near a stone statue, where Wakka, Lulu, and Yuna kneeled down to it and prayed.

"It's an ancient custom. People leaving the island pray here for a safe trip," explained Wakka solemnly, before adding something, "Chappu didn't pray that day. Said he'd miss his boat."

Tidus and Max glanced each other before deciding no harm could come from just praying for a safe trip. They performed the prayer shortly before waiting for the rest to finish.

"Why don't you two go on ahead, scout the path a little," suggested Lulu. "We'll finish up here soon."

* * *

Max and Tidus had found out from Wakka there was an alternate path to the village, but it had fiends roaming the roads. Taking the river was a safer path, but with their luggage, they couldn't swim back to the piers. Nodding at the suggestion, both of them left the trio, not noticing a worried glance that was shared between the three.

As they were walking, Max decided to tease Tidus about Yuna for a bit. Blushing, Tidus was trying to ignore him until they reached some more old ruins. Tidus noticed there was something written on the ruins, and called Max over. He quickly snapped a photo of the language, compared it with the other photo of the language found in the ruins, and found similarities to it. Both heard something start to crumble, and Max shut his computer fast. Looking around, they saw nobody. Deciding caution was better, they decided to avoid letting other people know about Max's arm computer and didn't open it again. Just as soon as they were about to reach the overpass, rapid footsteps could be heard from above. They saw the blue beast from yesterday in the temple leaping from pillars to pillars before landing on the ground on all fours before them.

* * *

Slowly rising, he looks at them like a predator towards his prey before fiercely roaring. Startled, both of them leap back, weapons on the ready. They knew that this person had some sort of relationship with Yuna and her friends, but didn't know why he was attacking them. The beast took out his halberd, getting into a fighting position, before literally trying to pounce Tidus. Max quickly shot some arrows at the beast at non-lethal points. The beast swung his weapon, causing the arrows to clatter on the ground. Taking this time, Tidus rushed forward with a forward swing to his shoulder. Both were trying to disable the beast without any lethal damage, as they didn't want to have any sort of misunderstanding so soon. The beast dodged it with minimal movement, leaving Tidus open. He couldn't press the advantage, as Max shot another arrow to distract him.

Working together seamlessly, they managed to push him towards a wall. The beast seemed to notice, and jumped. He aimed his halberd downwards while putting his feet on it, resulting in putting all his weight for the landing. Quickly moving away, a small crater was formed at the point of impact where the two had been. Glancing at each other, Max had formed a plan and lined, up. This time, Tidus rushed forward again, this time in a stabbing motion. The beast went to meet him and met a startling surprise. Tidus quickly dodged to the left, letting the beast see an arrow headed straight for his torso. Quickly dodging the arrow, he didn't anticipate Tidus already swinging his weapon right towards him. He tried to move but took an arrow to the leg by Max to stop him from moving. This proved useless as the beast merely grabbed Tidus by the arms at his mid swing before tossing him towards Max. Max ducked as Tidus flew above him before looking at the beast again.

The beast had already taken the arrow out of his wound, tossing the arrow aside and treating it like a scratch. The beast ran forward to slash at Max. Luckily, Max was able to dodge it by moving his left side back, letting the halberd come down. Using this momentum, Max raised his right leg to kick the person away from him. The beast grunted on impact but didn't move too much before aiming a punch to Max's face. Max was able to bring his right arm up to block it but ended up flying backward. Before the beast could capitalize on this, Tidus was already up, rushing forward to cover Max. Tidus jumped into the air while doing a front flip. He let his blade descend down towards the beast. He missed as the beast jumped backward, but not before leaving a slight cut on the beast's torso. Before they could do anything else, a voice rang out.

* * *

"That's enough!"

Looking at the source of the voice, they saw that it had been Wakka who called it out. Lulu and Wakka came out from behind some ruins after Wakka had interfered. It hit both Tidus and Max that they were being tested for their skills. As Wakka approached them, the beast merely glanced at the duo one last time before proceeding down the path.

"What's with that guy?" Tidus asked Wakka. Surprisingly, Lulu was the one who answered.

"Kimahri Ronso, of the Ronso tribe. He's learned the fiends' way of fighting."  
"That's not what I meant!" Tidus yelled out angrily. Max was thinking about Lulu's statement.  
"He's another of Yuna's guardians," Wakka added.  
"Sometimes we don't understand him either. Kimahri doesn't talk much anyway. But he has protected me since I was a child!" Yuna explained.

Max and Tidus merely nodded. As far as they knew, the beast's name was Kimahri and was part of Yuna's escort, and seemed strong. They continued down the road, with Kimahri scouting ahead.

They encountered a bigger flying fiend on the path, about the same size as Yuna's aeon. As Tidus and Max prepared for battle, Wakka stopped them.

"Why don't we let our summoner show us what she's made of!" said Wakka.

Yuna stepped forward with her staff and did the same summoning posture as they saw last time. Valefor soared down from the heavens and clawed at the fiend. After strikes, pecks, and slashes, Valefor came out victorious. Dismissing Valefor after the battle, Yuna seemed a little tired but carried on. A few more fiends were taken care on the road until they finally hit the pier. As they were walking, Tidus and Max hung back a little further from Yuna and her guardians due to the fact that a small crowd was waiting for them. They all gathered around Yuna and her guardians, wishing them luck and protection. Max went ahead and got some more fishing string for his bow and some wood while Tidus watched the crowd. The crowd still seemed to give him the evil eye, but he ignored it. Soon, they all got on the boat and set off. The crowd was still on the pier, waving goodbye to Yuna and crying. Prayer gestures were exchanged all over. This puzzled both Max and Tidus. Why did it seem like they were saying farewell for good? Wouldn't they come back afterward? As they pulled farther away, Yuna's face seemed to be filled with sadness and sorrow, but also determination. She performed the prayer gesture one last time before they were out of sight.

* * *

The ship was sailing with a fine tailwind on it. As people wandered over the deck, Tidus was bored. He tried to steal a binocular off a crew member but was told off Max not to cause so much trouble. He instead took out his binoculars from his utility belt and tossed it to Tidus to play with.

"Make sure the others don't use this one," Max whispered to Tidus.

Tidus was confused until he remembered their plan to not expose Max as a machine specialist. The binoculars were different due to the fact Max had created these. Besides the usual purpose, it also had night vision and thermal vision as well as adjustable magnification. Max had thought about putting x-ray vision on it, but thought against it. Too many people would accuse him of being a pervert with those binoculars.

As Tidus was gazing around with the binoculars and switching magnifications, he spotted Yuna walking to the front deck. He gazed at her for awhile until she noticed him, and waved. Too nervous to do anything else, he dumbly dropped the binoculars to wave back. Only after he had figured out what he had down did he notice Max was on the floor with the binoculars back in his hand.

"Dammit Tidus don't drop my stuff like that!" cursed out Max. Tidus blushed and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. As Max placed it back in his belt, Wakka came over.

"Come to think of it, I haven't told you where we're going!" said Wakka as he scratched his head, "First to Kilika Island, then we change boats and head for Luca. 'Fore that, though, Yuna's gotta pray at the temple. I'll be guarding. We'll be praying for the Aurochs' victory, too, so you come along, ya?"  
Lulu gave an exasperated sigh, "Great plan."  
Wakka looked indignant at this. "Hey, it is a great plan!"  
Max and Tidus laughed at this before deciding to wander off again. They saw a crowd had gathered around Yuna, so they went below the decks instead. A merchant who went by the name O'aka the XXIII started to harass them for gils after making fun of their clothes. Tidus left for the deck again while Max decided to stay below. He told Tidus he wanted to talk to O'aka about purchasing some merchandise. As Tidus left, he saw an evil gleam in Max's eyes and knew O'aka would be in trouble.

* * *

"So your a merchant huh?" asked Max.

O'aka turned around to size Max up before replying, "O'aka the XXII, merchant extraordinaire at your service. Did you want to donate some gils for my empire?"

"Perhaps, if your services are good," replied Max, "I need to buy these specific items." He handed O'aka a list to look at. O'aka took a look at the list and frowned. Some of these items were not going to be easy to get. Before he could say anything, Max tossed 5000 gils in a small pouch.

"I'm going to give you some gils first. This should be enough to cover everything and still have some leftover. You're headed to Luca too, correct?"

O'aka nodded. Max grinned, "You have until the end of the last blitzball game to get me these items. If you can't get them, return my gils to me. If you try to run... well lets say you won't make it far."

At that point, Max started to laugh evilly, causing O'aka to shudder and step back. He contemplated about the deal and made a quick calculation on the items in his head. The amount was definitely enough, but if he could manage to get these items at lower prices, he would make a good profit.

"Agreed then lad. Fine seed money for the O'aka merchant empire," said O'aka while he stuck out his hand. Max went ahead to shake it before leaning closer and reminding him not to run.

* * *

Tidus had gone back on deck and saw the crowd still crowding around her. He overheard some of the conversations the ship crew had.

"Word is that summoner's got noble blood!"  
"I heard she's Lord Braska's daughter!"  
"Ya don't say? "

'Lord Braska?' thought Tidus, 'from the statue back at the temple?'

Deciding he needed to know more, he went to ask Wakka about who Braska was.

"Lord Braska defeated Sin ten years ago. Yuna's the heir to a great legacy!" explained Wakka.  
"It's tough when your father's famous," Tidus said reflectively.  
Wakka looked confused at this statement and asked Tidus what he meant. Lulu decided to drop into the conversation.

"Wakka's…a bit lacking in the imagination department," said Lulu, causing Wakka to be more confused while Tidus just laughed. Lulu had a mean sarcastic streak, but it was funny.

Soon, the crowd finally broke up, leaving Yuna alone at the prow of the ship. Finally deciding to engage in a conversation with her, Tidus nonchalantly walked forward. Yuna noticed him coming and moved to the right to allow him to stand next to her. Tidus, however, couldn't find any way to start the conversation as he leaned on the rope railings until Yuna engaged first.

"The wind…it's nice," she says. Tidus just numbly nods. A few moments later, they started to chuckle before it became a full out laughter. After finally relaxing from the tension, Yuna decided to start first.  
"You're a blitzball player, aren't you? From Zanarkand, right?" she asked  
"Uh… You hear that from Wakka?" Tidus inquired. Yuna nodded at this.  
Tidus sighed as he said, "Ah…Wakka. Wakka doesn't believe me at all."  
"But I believe you!" she exclaimed. Tidus turned his head to look Yuna straight in the eye at this statement, bewildered that she would believe this when nobody else would.  
"I've heard, in Zanarkand… there is a great stadium, all lit up even at night!" she said, "Great blitzball tournaments are held there, and the stands are always full!"  
"How do you know that?" he questioned seriously. This wasn't someone who could just imagine it up.  
"A man named Jecht told me. He was my father's guardian," she explained with a smile.  
Tidus frowned at the mention of his father and turned around so Yuna couldn't see it. He decided to mention it, "My father…his name is Jecht,"  
Yuna gasped at this revelation and did the prayer.

"Amazing!" she proclaimed, "You know, our meeting like this must be the blessing of Yevon!" Tidus sounded skeptical about this news "Sounds like him, but it can't be him." "Why not?" she questioned. "My old man," Tidus morosely explained, "he died. Ten years ago, off the coast of Zanarkand." Yuna looked sad at this revelation, but Tidus continued on. "He went out to sea for training one day…and never came back. And no one's seen him since then." Yuna seemed to in deep thought at this when she suddenly exclaimed, "Why, that's the day that Jecht came to Spira!" Tidus tried to interrupt but Yuna continued on. "It's true! I first met Jecht ten years and three months ago! I remember, that was the day my father left. The date fits, doesn't it?" Tidus was floored at this. "Yeah, but how would he get here?" he asked in disbelief Yuna sagely replied, "You're here, are you not?" with a smile.

Tidus thought about it and realized that it was true. If he and his friend Max ended up here, then Jecht somehow also got stuck here in Spira too.

"My friend Max is also from the same place as I am," said Tidus as Max had finally come back on the deck and was heading towards them. Yuna looked shocked that another person from Zanarkand had ended up her too, but continued to smile.

* * *

They continued to look at each other's eyes as if gazing into the other person's soul. Max saw this and didn't want to interrupt this moment and was about to leave when the boat suddenly shook. Everyone stumbled down onto the deck, grabbing onto something to hold on. Yuna didn't manage to grab onto anything, but Tidus grabbed her hand before she could slide away. Max grabbed onto the rope railing and muttered something about the floor again before looking around. A crew member was tumbling around the floor and hit the side of the ship with a thump, causing Max to hold back a laugh at that scene. The waves had suddenly become erratic, causing the boat to dip down steeply and back up. Yuna slide around due to the waves while Tidus struggled to keep a grip on her. Tidus almost lost his grip on her when Max shot out his hand and helped grabbed Yuna's other hand. Together, they pulled her closer to them so she could grab on the railings. She was frightened and instead ended up hugging Tidus, causing them both to blush slightly at this sudden movement. Kimahri didn't look to please at this as he leaped over to them to help. Then they heard a huge splash from behind the ship and looked at the source of the sound to find a gigantic fin looming over them.

"SIN!" was the cry of one of the crew members. Soon, everyone was panicking and stumbling to see Sin. The fin passed by the ship and continued onward, ignoring them. Two of the crewmembers jumped to the harpoon shooters and aimed it at Sin.

"What do you think you're doing?" demanded Wakka, "Stick a harpoon in it and we'll all get dragged under!" "Sin is going for Kilika!" cried out a sailor, "We gotta distract it!" "Our families are on Kilika! Forgive us, Lady Summoner!" another sailor begged. Yuna nodded at this decision while Wakka looked freaked out.

* * *

Both sailors pointed the harpoons and fired directly at the fin. The first one fell short and hit the ocean while the second one scored a direct hit. A rope was connected with the harpoon to the ship, causing it to drag the-the ship for a few seconds. The rope snapped in half due to the stress, causing the ship to tilt heavily, making many people on the deck lose their balance. Sin raised its mighty tail out of the water and splashed it down, causing a torrent of water to hit the deck. Streams of water flooded the deck, hitting the people on it and causing them to lose their balance. As soon as the water stopped, everyone stood up to see who was missing.

"Where's Tidus?" as Max finally got up.

Everyone looked around and realized and he wasn't on the ship anymore. Wakka quickly leaned over the ship's edge and scanned the waters. Luckily, he spotted a humanoid shape in black and yellow and was about to dive when he heard a small boom noise. Looking for the source, he found Max with a hookshot out and had shot it towards Tidus. The grapple latched on to Tidus's shirt, allowing Max to start reeling him in. Soon, Tidus was close enough to the ship that a rope could be thrown to haul him back on board. Max turned around to ask for someone to help Tidus when he saw people staring at him, or more specifically, his hookshot.

"What?" asked Max.

"Forbidden machina..." whispered one of the crew. Max felt a tic on his forehead.

"Seriously? It's literally a miniature version of the harpoon you just shot. Now help me get Tidus on board so he doesn't drown!" yelled out Max.

* * *

Everyone woke up from their shock at that and started moving. Embarrassed, they pulled Tidus back up and laid him on the deck. Yuna quickly laid his head on her lap, surprising quite a bit of people at this action.

"He's not breathing," muttered a guest of the ship. He did the prayer, thinking he was dead.

Max rolled his eyes before punching Tidus on the chest, surprising everyone at this sudden violence.

"Hey, what you think you doi..." yelled out Wakka before Tidus shot up and coughed out water.

As he was coughing up water, Wakka looked dumbfounded before speaking, "You could've just used a potion or have Yuna use white magic on him."

Max raised his eyebrow at this and replied curtly, "This way's faster and we don't need to waste our items."

As soon as Tidus stopped coughing, he laid his head back down to Yuna's lap, not noticing her until he looked up and saw her face above his. He tried to move, but Yuna held him down, telling him not to move for the while. Embarrassed, Tidus complied.

"What happened?" Tidus asked.

"You got knocked overboard by the water. You probably also hit your head while flying overboard, otherwise, you should've been able to swim back easily," replied Max.

"Sin got away," cried a crew member. "He's headed for Kilika."

"We'll reach Kilika within two hours," announced the navigator.

Everyone looked out to the ocean where Kilika lied, knowing that Sin would attack the village and dread what the death toll would be.

* * *

 **That's right. I'm already making Yuna and Tidus closer by subtle actions of Tidus was here. Who knows how much this will change the story :) On the otherside, review if you can. On another note, man I've been combining chapters lately. Originally set out as two chapters, I decided to combine it as one instead. Don't expect me to write 4k chapters every time though.**


	12. Chapter 11 Arriving at Kilika

**Surprise Chapter! Also, I'm debating on whether or not I should add Paine into this somehow. It might be a little hard since I'm not as familiar with her character, but I'm sure I can make it work somehow. Gonna put a poll up on my profile. Also, I've read in some random fanfics that Paine is Auron's niece? I can probably fit that in, somehow. So I'm going to give you voters 3 choices. I won't make too much references, if any at all, to FFX-2 if I do write her in, though. I'll leave this poll up for two weeks starting this chapter.**

 **A) She joins in as Auron's niece**

 **B)She joins in as a stranger**

 **C)Don't include her in.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own FFX**

* * *

The sun was already setting when Kilika was finally in sight. The hopes that Sin avoided this town was shattered as they saw ruins and destruction in the village. As the ship was pulling up to port, Yuna made a vow.

"I will defeat Sin… I must defeat Sin."

Tidus and Max viewed the destruction as they pulled up and didn't like what they saw. A once thriving village was now in ruins. The structure of the village seemed to be built all over the shallow shores of the beach, over the water. Houses were torn apart, walkways were fragile, and the people still living were in pain. Soon, the ship docked, and Yuna hurried off the ship to the nearest person.

"Greetings! I am the summoner Yuna. I have come from the temple in Besaid," she said.  
"M'lady Summoner!" an innkeeper gasped.  
"If there is no other summoner here, please allow me to perform the sending," she continued on.  
The villagers seemed to be relieved that Yuna was here and quickly took her to somewhere, where she was followed by Kimahri and Lulu. Wakka and his team quickly jumped off the ship to see what help they could provide. Tidus and Max decided to follow where Yuna went. They quickly found out with a group of people looking out to the sea. They spotted some dark blotches with a pink flower on top of it in the water and quickly figured out that they were coffins.

* * *

They stood near Lulu, observing the crying crowd before Tidus decided he couldn't handle being clueless and asked , "Uh, what's a 'sending'? Are we going somewhere?" Lulu looked at them with disdain before huffing an answer out, "You truly are clueless. Are you sure it's just your memory that's the problem?"

Max frowned at this comment and replied, "Just tell us. I already told Wakka to just treat us as foreigners to this land, and I'll repeat the same to you." Lulu didn't like Max's tone but decided to ignore it for now. " The dead need guidance. Filled with grief over their own death, they refuse to face their fate. They yearn to live on, and resent those still alive," at this point, Lulu's voice began to take a softer tone, "You see, they envy the living. And in time, that envy turns to anger, even hate. Should these souls remain in Spira, they become fiends that prey on the living.

Both men looked horrified at this revelation. "Sad, isn't it?" said Lulu when she saw their face.  
"The sending takes them to the Farplane, where they may rest in peace," she explained.  
"Summoners do this?" asked Tidus. Lulu merely nodded her head as a yes.

They looked back at Yuna, whose face seemed solemn as she started to walk out to the water.

As soon as she took the first step in the water, she stepped on it. Max was shocked at this, 'She's walking ON water!? Not in it!?' Unaware of Max's thought process, she continued forward until she reached the center of all the coffins that was in the water. Slowly, she swept her staff around her clockwise before reversing it again. At this point, the crowd could no longer contain their tears and let it flow freely. People were on their knees in their grief as Yuna continued to perform the sending. To Tidus and Max, it seemed to be some sort of ceremonial dance that Yuna was doing. Soon, the torches that were around them all suddenly turned to an eerie blue color. Ghostly lights started to float from the bodies and began to surround Yuna.

"What are those things?" Max quickly whispered to Lulu.

She looked annoyed being interrupted from watching Yuna, but replied "Pyreflies. They make up everything living. Some people know a bit more about it, but that's the basics of it now."

She ended the conversation and looked back at Yuna. Max didn't bother asking for more information as Lulu had an aura around saying 'disturb me again and die.'

The pyreflies seemed to converge under Yuna in the water and started raising her. Soon, a rising pool of water took Yuna up while she continued to spin and dance. Tidus stood there, mesmerized by the dance, ignoring anything else that was happening around him. Soon Yuna stopped and pointed her staff downwards, signifying it was done.

* * *

As she walked back to land, a crowd gathered around her, thanking her for her service. As Max, Tidus, and Lulu stood in the background, Tidus stated: "It must be tough, being a summoner." Lulu replied, "Yuna chose her own path. She knew from the beginning what it meant. All we can do is protect her along the way. Until the end." "Until the…end?" asked Tidus. Lulu was about to leave it that until Max's word about being foreigners came back to her. She huffed and decided to answer that question, even if it did seem stupid. "Until she defeats Sin," as she leaves for Yuna. Lulu went up to Yuna and embraced her in a sisterly fashion. Yuna's face had tear streaks that seemed to have come out while she was dancing. "I hope…I hope I did okay," said Yuna Lulu replied softly, "You did very well! They've reached the Farplane by now. But, no tears next time, hm?"

They all decided to retire for the night and head for the temple the next morning. While everyone was sleeping, Tidus couldn't take his mind off Yuna and that dance. It was beautiful, but also terrifying. He didn't want to see it again if he could. He decided to walk back down to get some air before turning in for the night. As he descended the stairs, he saw that Yuna was on a couch near the fire, staring at it. Deciding that talking might be better, he turned and sat with Yuna. She seemed surprised at first, but soon, they were both talking to each other about their lives. For some reason, Tidus wasn't afraid of telling her about Zanarkand. While they were talking, Yuna noticed that Tidus had some bloody scrapes on his arm.

"Let me heal that up," said Yuna.

Confused, Tidus let Yuna come close to his arm with her hands. He saw her mutter something and her hands glowed white. Tidus felt something warm and good brush by his injuries for a few seconds. He looked at his arm and noticed that the scrapes were gone, and the skin unblemished.

"What was that?" Tidus asked, astonished.

"White magic," replied Yuna, "The basic of it, _Cure,_ that allows me to heal minor injuries."

"That's amazing," Tidus exclaimed quietly, causing Yuna to blush a little.

They talked a little more before heading to sleep, both of them wearing a happy face. Unnoticed by them, Max had seen this interaction and smiled.

* * *

When Tidus woke up, he noticed that everyone had already left. Stretching, he quickly descended the stairs and found Max talking with the innkeeper.

"Hey, you're awake," greeted Max when he saw Tidus. "Wakka said to meet up with him once your awake."

They both left the inn and headed towards where Wakka said to meet up. On the way, they stopped by to restock on a few items such as potions when they encountered a Kilika blitzball player with wounds staring out at sea with a blank face. They tried to ask if he was alright only to be snapped at. A woman near him, who seemed to be his wife, told them to forgive him due to the fact that Sin's toxin had affected him. Before they left, Max managed to snag some blood off the man to analyze to see if this so called toxin existed. As they found Wakka, he gathered his teammates up.

"On to the temple, where we pray for victory!" he cheered, raising the Aurochs spirits. As they all ran off, Wakka decided to give Tidus and Max a little history lesson.  
"High Summoner Ohalland used to live in the Kilika temple here. Yep, Lord Ohalland was once a great blitzer, you know?"  
"Wakka…," Tidus said slowly. Wakka gave him a quizzical look  
"Praying for victory's all good…but is this right?" he asked.  
"Something wrong with enjoying blitzball?" Wakka replied.  
"Is this an appropriate time to do this, especially after this?" Max asked this time.  
"This is the only time!" Wakka exclaimed, " The players fight with all their strength; the fans cheer for their favorite team. They forget pain, suffering… Only the game matters! That's why blitz has been around for so long. Least that's what I think."  
Tidus and Max remained silent on this statement, stewing it over.  
"Let's play…and win! Right?" Wakka cheered.  
Tidus and Max smirked, "Yea, victory."  
Wakka pointed towards the inland, "Temple's beyond the jungle there. Let's go! "

* * *

As soon as they hit the jungle entrance, they could see Yuna, Lulu, and Kimahri all waiting for them. Lulu saw them and walked up to Tidus with an unhappy face, "Yuna's saying she wants you with us."

Max grinned at this while Tidus seemed confused.

Yuna approached Tidus with a smile and said, "I want to ask you to be my guardian."

"Yuna!" Wakka sternly said, "What? This is no times for jokes, ya? He may be a blitzball whiz kid, but up against fiends, he's a newbie."  
Yuna looked down to her feet before blushing and saying, "Not a guardian, then…I just want him nearby."  
At this statement, Max was already sure that both Yuna and Tidus had feelings for each other. Wakka was shocked and put up his hands at this. He elbowed Tidus before Tidus could ask what she meant by that sentence and gave him a teasing look. Tidus started blushing as soon as it Yuna's word finally processed through his mind.

"Tidus doesn't mind, he'll gladly accept that it," sang Max, causing Yuna and Tidus to be unable to look at each other's face for a bit. "But what about poor me?" Max teased Yuna light-heartedly.

"Oh! I'm so sorry I meant to ask you too," Yuna quickly apologized, but Max just waved it off.

Lulu sighed before saying, "We're all going to the temple anyway, can't this wait till later?"

Everyone nodded at this and started walking, although Max was pouting at this lost chance to tease Yuna and Tidus, and perhaps bring them together. He did like playing cupid, afterall.

* * *

As they walked forward, they saw Luzzu and Gatta standing guard in front of a bridge.

"Company, halt!" commanded Gatta  
"The fiend before us is Ochu, Lord of the Wood!" explained Luzzu.

Tidus and Max looked over their shoulders only to see some sort of big plant. It took them a few moments to figure out that's what they were talking about.

"The Ochu is no garden-variety fiend. We could throw a hundred Crusaders at it and still lose. The vines itself contains poison deadly if not treated immediately," Luzzu continued to explain, not noticing Tidus and Max inching closer to it.

"Well we gotta get to the temple somehow," Wakka thought out loud. "We could try to go around, but that might take time that we don't have."

"Watch out!" yelled out Yuna. Everyone turned around to see Tidus accidentally step on a vine that was a part of Ochu, causing it to wake up and start rampaging.

"Looks like we're fighting," said Lulu as everyone got their weapons out. Luzzu and Gatto quickly got out of the way to avoid being injured.

"Nice going Tidus," smirked Max as he notched an arrow to his bow. Tidus merely shrugged before grabbing his sword and preparing to attack.

Taking a deep breath, he charged in with Kimahri, acting as the vanguard. Max and Wakka took the mid-range area, while Lulu and Yuna took the support positions. The fight was on!

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next one will be a fight scene.**

 **Also, a shout out to RKC3 for giving me an idea to add into the story. Please do review, though. Lets me know what i can improve on. Even flames or encouragements helps out, although preferably no big flamming**


	13. Chapter 12 Fight in Killika, Overdrives

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFX**

 **As a reminder, I do have a poll running to see whether or not I should put Paine into this story. Please vote if you can, it would be appreciated. I'd like to thank the people who posted reviews, makes me more motivated to write. This time, I get to write fighting sequences, yaa.**

* * *

Ochu started swinging its vines at its nearest target, being Tidus and Kimahri. Tidus easily dodged the vines while Kimahri dodged a few and parried some of it. Tidus slashed at one the vines, causing the Ochu to shriek in pain. Wakka and Max attacked the main body with their weapons, causing Ochu to flail even more. The vanguard couldn't get close enough until Lulu cast _Fire_ on its body, causing it to stop momentarily due to the pain. Taking advantage of this, Everyone except Yuna attacked the center body at once. After taking some heavy damage, Ochu responded by jumping into the air.

"Get back and time your jump to avoid stumbling!" yelled out Wakka.

As soon as Ochu landed, the ground shook harshly. Tidus, Wakka, and Max jumped to avoid the aftershocks while Kimahri merely endured it, keeping his balance due to his fighting style. Lulu and Yuna couldn't jump high enough to avoid the shock wave and stumbled down. The fiend took advantage of this and charged at them. Kimahri quickly intercepted and tried to parry the vines Ochu lashed out. None of the vines hit the girls, but Kimahri took a few hits, causing him to fall on his knees. Yuna quickly used the spell Esuna, a basic remedy spell, to cure the poison, but Kimahri had taken some heavy damage. While Yuna continued to cast Cure on Kimahri to heal his wounds, Lulu moved to the side to avoid grouping. She casted another _Fire_ on Ochu, distracting it from attacking Yuna and Kimahri. Unfortunately, she was left wide open without a guard. Ochu lashed out at Lulu, but its vines was intercepted by a ball and an arrow. Wakka quickly positioned himself in front of Lulu to avoid letting her be an easy target, but Ochu had switched targets already. Seeing Kimahri still being healed, Ochu rumbled forward towards him and Yuna.

* * *

"Tidus, up!" shouted Max. Tidus dashed towards Max and jumped. Max had already raised his leg up, allowing Tidus to land on it. Kicking as hard as he could, he punted Tidus high into the air towards Ochu's back. Using his signature Spiral Cut move while yelling, Tidus slammed his blade down on Ochu. Flailing at this attack, Lulu took another chance to cast _Fire_ on the fiend. Taking this chance, Wakka spun the ball on his finger, channeling some of his spirit into it, causing the ball to be shrouded by flames. Seemingly unhindered by this, he kicked the ball right into Ochu. Kimahri, all healed up, followed up with a dash and pierced through the fiend's skin with his halberd.

"Everyone get back!" Yuna yelled out, "I'm summoning!"

Everyone moved back as Yuna finished her summoning chant and called Valefor down from the skies. Valefor flapped its wings to produce a fierce gust of wind, causing Ochu to lose balance. Taking advantage of this, Valefor rose slightly to the skies while spinning. In its beak, a glowing energy could be seen gathering in its mouth. Ochu recovered and tried to cast Water on the aeon, but it was too late. A beam of energy shot out of Valefor's beak, bisecting right through Ochu on its feet. A second later, powerful explosions followed the beam's path, causing massive damage to Ochu. Unable to endure the amount of damage, Ochu collapsed and faded into pyreflies.

"Whoa! What was that?!" Max yelled out.

"That was Valefor's special attack, the Energy Ray." Lulu responded dully.

"It takes awhile for Valefor to build up this attack, and can't be used continuously." Yuna continued the explanation. "Luckily it carries over different battles, but it can easily exhaust the aeon."

* * *

Dismissing Valefor, the party turned around to see Gatto with his mouth open.

"Whoaa," was all Gatta could muster.

"A summoner and her guardians. Very impressive!" Luzzu said.

"Sir, we should fight, too!" yelled out Gatta as soon as he could think again.

Luzzu smiled at Gatta's words and replied: "We'll get our chance soon enough."

Excited, Gatta ran off singing a Crusader song, before stopping at Tidus and Max. Not knowing that Yuna had asked them to become guardians, he thought they were currently free and tried to convince them to join the Crusaders. Being stubborn, he kept trying until he felt a shiver in his spine. He quickly looked around and saw Yuna with a creepy aura staring at him. Quickly choosing to live, he quit trying, scared of Yuna since she had never shown this side before.

Soon they reached the stairways to the temple. Stopping here, Wakka turned around to address to Tidus and Max.

"O-ho! These stone steps have a history, you know? Yep, Lord Ohalland trained here at his peak. "

As Wakka was giving a history lesson, the Aurochs arrived at the stairs. They all took positions at the base of the stair.

Seeing this, Tidus chuckled, "A race, huh?" as he also got into position.

"Think you can beat me?" he addressed the rest of the Aurochs. They all grinned back.

"Yuna, if you would," as Wakka took his place at the starting line.

Yuna took a step on the stairways and raised her hand. "Ready?" she asked. Everyone nodded and tensed up to prepare. Then, without warning, Yuna ran ahead giggling. All the Aurochs and Tidus was surprised before figuring out Yuna wanted to participate in the race and already ran off to get a head start. While laughing, they all started racing up the stairs to catch up to Yuna, leaving Max, Lulu, and Kimahri behind. Shaking her head at this childish race, she walked with Max and Kimahri up the stairs slowly.

* * *

As they walked, Lulu decided to ask Max, "How goes learning black magic?"

Max shook his head at this, "It's harder than I thought. I think I almost have thunder magic, but the other three elements will take awhile to learn."

They were still walking when they heard a scream. The Aurochs minus the captain all quickly ran down the stairs.

Wakka yelled out from the top of the stairs, "Everyone, quick! Sinspawn!"

The three of them rushed up the stairs to see a stone plaza laid out before them. A large roundish shape object was at the edge of the plaza, and two large tentacle-like hands surrounded it. Tidus had already drawn his blade, standing in front of Yuna to protect her. Everybody else got their weapons out ready to fight. Max shot an arrow into the round fiend to find out that its hard shell wouldn't allow it to take damage easily. He cursed as he was already running low on arrows due to the fight against Ochu.

Wakka saw this and said, "How 'bout magic?"

Lulu casted _Fire_ , but before it could land in its main body, the tentacle hands redirected the spells onto itself, taking little damage. "Its tentacles absorb any spell cast at its body!" gasped Lulu.

"Then we'll take those out first!" yelled Tidus as he ran to one. The tentacles tried to stab Tidus, but he easily dodged it and spun. Using the spin, he slashed at the base of the tentacle. The cut wasn't deep enough to sever the tentacles, but it did halt its movement. Taking advantage, Max shot and arrow right at the point where Tidus had slashed, severing it completely. Seeing one of the tentacles cut off, the other one tried to stab Lulu. She was about to dodged when she tripped on a stray rock. Stumbling, she closed her eyes in preparation for the pain to come. However, it never came. Cracking her eyes open, she saw something that horrified her. Wakka had jumped between her and the tentacles and taken all the stabs in different places of his body. As the tentacles pulled out, Wakka fell down with all his injuries. Yuna quickly casted Cure to help Wakka, but he would be out of the fight for awhile. Cold fury arose from Lulu as she looked at the main body. Kimahri had taken care of the last tentacle, so there would be no interference. Raising her arm, she concentrated deeply. Instead of releasing the required amount of magic into a spell, she held on to that magic. Stacks after stacks of magic, She held it all in, not daring to unleash it yet. When she could no longer hold it, she released it all at once into the _Fire_ spell. Explosions kept happening one after another, until at least 7 _Fire_ spells had been instantly released into the sinspawn.

Unable to take it, the sinspawn burst out of its protection. A plant looking fiend glowered at them, feeling all the pain Lulu had just unleashed. Lulu was unfortunately tired after such an accomplishment, so she moved back to where Wakka and Yuna was.

"Can you summon Yuna?" asked Tidus.

Yuna shook her head sadly, "The aeon needs to rest after battles. Summoning it again so soon would be futile."

Tidus nodded and focused back onto the spinspawn. It spat out poison from its mouth, making Tidus, Kimahri, and Max move. Kimahri used seed cannon, a moved he had copied from a fiend earlier before Ochu with Lancet, on the sinspawn. Taking advantage, Tidus ran forward. The sinspawn tried to sweep Tidus away, but a barrage of arrows flew right into its body. Distracted, the fiend didn't noticed Tidus had jumped into the air.

"Raaahhh!" yelled Tidus as he stabbed his sword down into the fiends head, finishing it off.

* * *

As everyone managed to get the breath back, Max went to check his arrow supply and found out he only had 6 usable arrows left. Frowning, he made a mental note to make more arrows before returning back to the crowd.

"Yeesh!" gasped Tidus as he tried to control his breathing back to normal.

"Sorry about that! Hoped to break you two in a little slower." apologized Wakka.

"This guardian job seems tiring," said Max.

Wakka shrugged, "You two handled yourselves pretty well. You both got talent."

They continued climbing up the stairs after finally regulating their breathing when Wakka asked a question out of the blue.

"So, uh…they got fiends in Zanarkand, too?" Wakka asked.

"Just a few," replied Tidus, "It's a big deal when one shows up, though."

Max tilted his head at this question and asked, "I thought you didn't believe in our Zanarkand?"

"I been thinking. Maybe people Sin gets to don't die. Maybe Sin carries 'em through time. Like a thousand years through time. And then one day, maybe they just pop back, see?" explained Wakka. This explanation seemed to carry some sort of hope for himself, though. Unfortunately, Lulu crushed it mercilessly.

"Amazing. Simply amazing," while shaking her head. Wakka turned around, confused.

"You make up one theory after another," Lulu said, "Refusing to face the simple truth. Sin didn't take Chappu anywhere. Sin crushed him and left him on the Djose shore! Your brother won't just pop back."

Max thought this was a bit harsh, crushing his hope like that, and decided to intervene.

"You can't completely deny Wakka's theory." Lulu turned her head, disbelief written on her face at this statement.

"Tidus and I are proof, are we not?" explained Max. "Our Zanarkand and yours are different, maybe we have time traveled. Nothing is certain for sure."

Lulu merely stormed off after this explanation. Yuna looked back before following her, with Kimahri behind her. Wakka looked depressed before looking at Max.

"You think it's possible?" Wakka asked with a hopeful voice.

Max shook his head, "I don't know. To be honest, based on Lulu blunt truth, I don't think Chappu could be carried over through time. Our memory's a little fuzzy, but I do remember some sort of vortex before blacking out. Next thing we knew, we ended up somewhere in Spira."

Wakka sulked his head down before punching the wall. He raised his head after the punch.

"Thanks for being honest," said Wakka. He walked off, but not before muttering "I could never be what Chappu was..."

Tidus and Max glanced at each other on that comment. There seemed to be some sort of triangle between the brothers and Lulu but decided it wasn't their concern before running up the stairs to catch up to the party.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading. On a low note, I may not be able to a chapter two weeks from now, since I will be out of town. I may either try to do a double chapter next week or the week after the trip, depending on my muse. A reminder that the poll will end on August 15, 2016, so if you want to vote, make sure you do it before the 16th.**

 **On a side note, Overdrives are fun to write. I won't have them abuse it, though. Same with Aeons.**


	14. Chapter 13 Kilika Temple and Jerks

**Usual Disclaimer: I don't own FFX. Now for the side notes**

 **The poll is ending soon, so if you want to vote, go to my profile soon. Remember, This poll influences whether or not I put Paine in. Also, as some of you may have noticed, I wrote a new story called Rise of the West, a Naruto fanfic. Check it out! Now, ONTO THE STORY.**

* * *

As they ascended the stairs, Max and Tidus hung back a little from the group. Max had analyzed the blood from the Kilika blitzball player and found no foreign substance, leading to more confusion. Why were people blaming a non-existing toxin from Sin for memory loss or personality changes? Eventually, they decided they didn't have enough evidence to draw conclusions yet.

"Hey, slowpokes! Catch up man!" Wakka yelled out.

They finally arrived at the top of the stairway and saw the temple. This temples design seemed to be based off a _fire_ aeon, due to the fact that there were torches and spheres filled with _fire_ everywhere. At the center of the courtyard before the temple was a flat circle. Underneath it however, was a _fire_ that seemed to burn fiercely without any aid. While crossing over it, 6 people wearing the same purple clothes with yellow marks marched out of the temple. Seeing Wakka, they all approached him. As they got closer, Tidus and Max could see that this was another blitzball team, and the red head male was clearly their captain.

"You here to pray for victory, too Bickson?" Wakka addressed their leader.

Bickson scoffed, "Us? Pray? Who needs to pray? The Luca Goers always win!"

"Oh, yeah? Then why are you here?" Wakka replied.

"We've been praying for some competition this year!" said one of the players arrogantly.

"So what's your goal this time?" Bickson teased, "You gonna 'do your best' again? Ha! It's too bad your best isn't good enough! Why even bother showing up?" The Aurochs felt their spirits being crushed by this.

This statement frustrated both Tidus and Max. "This time, we play to win!" yelled Tidus.

The Aurochs seemed to regain some of their spirits and looked at the Goers.

"Oooh! Play away! Just remember even kids can play, boys," Bickson sneered before sauntering away with his team.

After that unpleasant encounter with the blitzball team, Kimahri, Wakka, and Lulu entered the temple while the rest stayed outside for a bit.

"We'll beat them. We have to!" muttered Tidus.

"No worries Tidus, I've got a few plans that'll destroy them," smirked Max. Tidus nodded, knowing he could trust Max to come up with some effective strategies.

Yuna frowned at the two of them, "You know that team?"

" Putting people down…They're as bad as my old man!" exclaimed Tidus.

Yuna was surprised at this revelation, "But, Sir Jecht was a kind and gentle man!" Max was surprised about this. He hadn't known that Yuna knew Jecht or even that Jecht even came to this world.

"She knows you dad?" questioned Max.

"Maybe, but the way she's describing him doesn't seem like it's my old man," grunted Tidus. Yuna seemed down on this revelation.

"Wait, does that mean Yuna knows about our place too?" asked Max.

Tidus scratched his head as he explained that Yuna somehow knew Jecht and that he had also come from Zanarkand and somehow landed in Spira, and became Braska's guardian. As Max tried to process this revelation, they decided to enter the temple.

* * *

As they entered, they saw Wakka praying to a specific statue. As they got closer, Tidus and Max could hear Wakka saying, "Lord Ohalland, guide our feet."

Praying for victory was good and all, but Max and Tidus couldn't bring it to themselves to pray to a statue of some man for victory. In their opinion, victory was achieved by actions and the sweat of their hard work, not by praying for a chance. Yuna quickly found the priest of the temple and gave him a gift for the temple that the group had carried from her luggage. The priest was surprised at this, but thankful for it. As the group watched Wakka pray, the door that led to the Cloister of Trials opened. A scandalously dressed dark skinned woman came out, accompanied by a muscular man who seemed to have traded his brain for brawn. The woman's clothes seemed to be made of strings and a few cloths that covered her privates. The male wore pants and had straps going over each shoulder, crossing over at the chest and back with no shirt, showing his pecs. The woman saw Yuna and went directly towards her.

"A summoner, are you?" she asked. Based off this question, Max and Tidus guessed that she was also a summoner.

Yuna nodded and replied, "My name is Yuna– from the Isle of Besaid."

She nodded and introduced herself, "Dona. So, you're High Summoner Braska's daughter. That's quite a name to live up to."

She looked around before scoffing, "My, my, my…And all these people are your guardians?" She gave a dirty look at them all. "My, what a rabble! As I recall, Lord Braska had only two guardians. Quality over quantity, my dear. Whatever were you thinking? I have need of only one guardian. Right, Barthello?" She scathingly lectured.

Kimahri seemed to take offense at this and stepped up, looking down face to face against the guardian named Barthello.

Yuna, however, had her answer ready, "I only have as many guardians as there are people I can trust. I trust them all with my life! To have so many guardians is a joy, and an honor! Even more so than being my father's daughter. Of course, I would never think of questioning your ways, either. So, Lady Dona, I ask of you: please leave us in peace."

At this dismissal, Dona seemed to lost interest and merely walked off. "You do what you want." as she walked away. "Barthello, we're leaving."

As she walked away, Lulu and Kimahri went ahead into the Cloister of Trials. Yuna lingered around for a little, giving Tidus a bright smile before walking away. Tidus was slightly confused at this smile but decided to ignore it for now. Wakka followed quickly after praying. Max and Tidus looked at each other for a little before deciding to enter in with them. Yuna had offered them guardianship after all, right? They put their weapons in a room that the temple had. Weapons were not allowed inside the temple, and had a special room for them to reclaim them after they were done. They entered in to see a small circular room with a circular floor panel that seemed to lead them down.

"The fayth is below. Let's do it!" announced Wakka. Tidus immediately asked what the fayth was, but was promptly ignored.

"But first, the Cloister of Trials. Kimahri, Wakka, Ready?" Lulu asked.

"Strength, everyone" as Yuna did the prayer.

As they all got in, Kimahri suddenly pushed Tidus off while Lulu kicked Max onto the floor.

"Not the floor again," moaned Max.

"Hey! What gives?" Tidus peeved.

"You two aren't guardians yet," replied Lulu.

"Weren't we offered guardianship though?" asked Max.

"It's not official yet," answered Wakka.

"Um… We'll be back as soon as we can, okay?" Yuna apologized as the platform descended.

Tidus and Max looked at each other when they couldn't see them anymore.

"More like tomorrow," Tidus said frustrated.

Well since we have time, I'm going to go restock on my arrows. Want to come?" asked Max.

* * *

Seeing that there was nothing else to do, they were about to leave when Donna and Barthello appeared at the door again.

"Where's Yuna?" she asked.

"Down there," replied Max.

"Then why are you two here?" Donna questioned.

"Hey, we aren't guardians yet, so we're not suppose to go in, right?" Tidus answered.

"Hmm, not a guardian you say?" Donna grins, motioning Barthello forward.

He picked Tidus up onto his right shoulder and tried to pick Max with his left before something drastic happened. It was the one pain that every man, no matter what universe, would fear. Its excruciating pain to one man can be felt to other men everywhere who don;t even see it. Every man will involuntary respond to this be closing their legs. That's right, the NUTCRACKER. Max didn't want to be manhandled by Barthello, so he responded instantly by driving his foot up the nuts. Barthello promptly dropped Tidus and curled up. Even all the muscles he had didn't stop him from crying like a baby, although understandable after being hit in the groin.

"What... YOU JERK! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO MY GUARDIAN!" Donna yelled.

"Didn't want to be manhandled and you were planning something," replied Max coldly.

Donna just muttered unspeakable words before gently helping Barthello up and leaving. She gave one last cold glance at Max before leaving.

"Well, that happened," Max said before noticing where Tidus had been dropped.

Before either could react, the platform activated and began descending down with Tidus on it. Quickly making a decision and hoping he didn't regret it, Max jumped on the platform.

"Well, looks like we don't have a choice now huh?" Tidus sadly smiled.

The platform stopped at the base floor, and wouldn't go back up, no matter how much they tried to jump on it. Max was tempted to use his hookshot to get them up but decided against it in a temple.

"Only guardians allowed, and we're sure no guardians. Well, I guess it's too late now." Tidus commented sadly.

"Only choice is forward, and hope for the best," Max said.

* * *

Both of them passed through the trials easily, but as they were solving the puzzle, they wondered how everything seemed to have reset itself. Yuna's party just went through, and yet everything was unsolved. As they progressed, they made theories on how trials reset themselves so it wouldn't allow summoners to have easy access through. They finally reached the Chamber of Fayth and found Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri waiting in a brightly lit room. As they entered, both noticed the same song that had come from the Besaid temple's Chamber of Fayth. It was becoming more and more familiar to them, yet they couldn't place it. As they walked in, Wakka glanced at them before doing a double-take, shock evident on his face. Lulu glared at them for following after being told not to, while Kimahri completely ignored them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wakka facepalmed.

"It was Dona and that big musclehead man!" explained Tidus.

"Yuna will be the one to suffer the consequences!" Lulu exclaimed.

"Consequences?" Max asked.

"She could be excommunicated!" Wakka stated.

"Well least Max gave them something in return," Tidus smirked. Wakka and Lulu looked at him confused.

"I gave Barthello a kick to the nuts when he tried to grab me," Max grinned. Wakka looked shocked and crossed his legs at that thought. Lulu's mouth twitched into a smile before adopting the stoic face again. Kimahri seemed to ignore them as usual, but if one observed closely, you could see that his legs shifted slightly.

* * *

"So what's in there anyway?" Tidus asked, pointing at a door.

"The fayth, remember?" Wakka explained. Tidus nodded as if remembering. Lulu made a surprise explanation, though.

"The fayth are people who gave their lives to battle Sin. Yevon took their souls, willingly given from their still-living bodies." She explained. "Now they live forever, trapped in statues. But when a summoner beckons, the souls of the fayth emerge once again. That's what we call an aeon."

"All that in this room? S-So what's Yuna doing in there?" Tidus asked.

"She prays with all her heart for a way to defeat Sin," Wakka said solemnly.

They all sat down and waited for Yuna to come out. As they were waiting, Max was sharpening a few stones for his arrowheads when Tidus finally realized what the song was.

"Max," whispered Tidus, "I remember where I heard that song now! It's from Zanarkand!"

Max stopped and thought about it and realized that it was the same song they used to hear in their childhood. "So, Spira and Zanarkand does have something in common." he mused.

Tidus tried to get closer to the door where Yuna and the source of the song was but was roughly rebuffed by Kimahri.

"The chamber beyond is a sacred place. Only summoners may enter," Lulu explained.

"Guardians aren't allowed in for what reason?" asked Max.

"It's taboo!" Wakka exclaimed.

Deciding to wait again, Tidus sat next to Max, helping him sharpen a few stones when the door suddenly shuddered. The shield door was raised, and Yuna stumbled out tiredly. As Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri went up to help her, Max had a sudden thought. How does praying to something make Yuna this tired? He decided to stash that question for later and walked with Tidus to help. Yuna was surprised to see them both here but smiled as soon as she saw Tidus kneel down to help her up. They quickly left the temple. As they were walking out, Tidus began to feel more and more homesick due to the song. It reminded him too much, all the memory of his home flowing into him. Yuna noticed and walked next to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I don't know," Tidus replied. Max was next to him, feeling homesick too.

"What do you want to do?" Yuna was concerned.

"To scream real loud." Tidus honestly felt like it. He was tempted to when he felt Max put his arm around his shoulder.

"Me too, buddy. We both know that won't do much except attract attention right now. We can scream when we're on the boat and when it's quiet." Max was also tempted but had more control. Tidus nodded and continued to walk down the stairs. He realized that he wasn't exactly alone in this new world. Max was also here, and his only remaining connection that Zanarkand was real.

* * *

 **Read and Review! Hope you enjoyed the story so far. I'm still making this higher priority than my other story since I already have a more detailed plot for this story. Also, I probably should say this, but I don't plan to make a new story continuing the story to ffx-2. I already have an idea how I'm gonna end it, and I promise it'll be good.**


	15. Chapter 14 Off to Luca Bets & Jecht Shot

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFX. Surprise Update!**

 **The votes are in! And the winner issss: Paine gets to be in the story! As Auron's Niece! with a vote of 80%.**

They went back to the village after cutting a few thick branches for Max to make some more arrows. Tidus and Max noticed that the village was already making headways in repairs. Although it was impressive how fast the villagers could recover, it was sad too since the only reason they worked so fast could be due to Sin's attacks that they had lots of practice. What was worst was that everyone seemed to accept it as a fact of life? As the group approached the ship set for Luca, Tidus and Max noticed the Luca Goers were arrogantly getting on the boat. Another blitzball team wearing mainly green seemed to be also getting ready to board the ship too. They were having a last minute cheer before boarding.

"Off to Luca at last! The matches start soon as we get there, so rest up on the way, ya?" Wakka proclaimed.

"That fast?" Max asked. "Doesn't seem efficient or fair. Wouldn't it be better for the players to have one full day of rest and maybe some practice?

* * *

Wakka merely shook his head. The tournament was always held like that and nobody complained about it. The ship sailed to Luca right away and into the night. Most of the passengers were in the cabin waiting, but Tidus couldn't relax. He went up to the deck, passing by Donna and Barthello. Donna gave Tidus a dirty look while Barthello tried his best to ignore him. Max was already above the decks, crafting his arrows. Tidus saw Yuna, crowded by people again, except this time the Luca Goer's captain Bickson seemed to be flirting with her. Tidus couldn't help but feel anger at this, and decided to interrupt.

"What are you all talking about?"

"Who are you supposed to be?" Bickson asked.

"Ah, I remember him. Guy from Kilika." said the Luca blitzball player named Graav. "You know, one of the Besaid Aurochs. Said somethin' about winning the cup."

"Oh, right. You're that idiot," Bickson laughed

"Don't call him that!" Yuna interrupted sternly, surprising the crowd.

"But he is an idiot. They don't got what it takes to win the cup," Bickson retorted while smirking

"Well, they do now that I'm here!" Tidus told them.

"Yes, they will win! He used to be the star player of the Zanarkand Abes!" stated Yuna.

There was a momentary pause at this before the Goers started snickering.

"Yeah, as if anyone lived in those ruins," Graav laughed. Before Yuna could even retort, another voice cut through them.

"Well then, you shouldn't be afraid of us then."

Everyone turned around to see Max had joined them. "Why don't we hold a little wager then?"

Graav seemed to be weary of this, but Bickson was already walking forward before Graav could stop him.

"What's the wager then?" Bickson asked.

"Easy, if our team plays against yours, whoever loses has to dress in skin tight pink little skirts and praise the winner while dancing like ballerinas," Max smiled. Graav felt a shiver at that and tried to put it off, but Bickson's ego was too big for him to stop.

"Alright, deal. The Goers will enjoy watching you losers dance," laughed Bickson before going below the deck. Soon, all the Aurochs were back on the deck except for Keepa and Botta. Keepa seemed to have been dragged off by the women of the Luca Goers while Botta was keeping watch, hoping nothing happen, or secretly wished to be dragged in.

* * *

As soon as Tidus was about to walk off, Yuna told him, "I do believe your Zanarkand exists. I really do, you know!" Tidus couldn't help but smile at this.

As he approached the front of the ship, he heard voices at the second level. He went up the stairs a little and found that it was Wakka and Lulu, discussing something.

"Well? Say something. You'll take responsibility?" Lulu asked.

"Relax! They're bound to know someone in Luca." replied Wakka

"And if not?" she continued

"He could always join a blitz team." Wakka nervously chuckled. "Anyhow, it's better than just leaving him in Besaid!"

"What? Just leaving them in Luca?" she persisted.

"What do you want me to do?" Wakka groaned.

"Yuna wants to make them, or more specifically Tidus, a guardian." She announced quietly.

"Oh, yeah, geez…There's that too, eh?" he chuckled amicably.

"And whose fault is that?" Lulu stated

"Not mine!" He replied quickly. Lulu glared at him before Wakka faced down the floor and admitted it was. Tidus didn't feel comfortable to continue eavesdropping, and so he left. He heard something more about the guardianship, but didn't listen. He walked out to the front of the deck and saw a blitzball just lying on the deck. Max was leaning back on the main mast, relaxing. Tidus walked up to the ball, putting his foot on it before concentrating. He remembered his father's famous shot, the Jecht shot, and a memory popped up.

* * *

 _Flashback begins_

 _His younger six-year-old self had positioned himself near the ball. He ran forward to kick and missed, falling on his but. He got up again, but his father, Jecht, had suddenly arrived._

" _Well, well, trying to follow in my footsteps, are you?" Jecht questioned. Tidus didn't answer and turned his back on him._

" _I usually charge for lessons, you know…" Jecht continued, ignoring the fact Tidus wasn't talking to him. "That shot is done… like this!"_

 _He kicked the ball into the pole in front of him. Even at such narrow round pole, Jecht's accuracy allowed it so the ball bounced back towards him. He raises his legs and kicks the ball lightly upwards before heading it right back at the pole. It arced up and back down, allowing him to jump and spike it hard into the pole. The ball, this time, flew up into the air. Jecht bent his knees before jumping as high as he could, spinning rapidly at a slight angle before smashing the ball with his foot into the distance._

 _As he landed, he bragged, "You can't do it, kid. But don't worry, my boy. You're not the only one. No one else can do it. I'm the best! "_

 _Flashback ends._

* * *

'The best huh' Tidus thought. He remembered that shot very well, as Jecht always used it in his games and practices sometimes to show off. 'Whatever he can do, I can do.'

Tidus kicked the ball into the topmost steps of the small stairs that led to the front of the ship. Even with such a small target, Tidus was able to accurately manipulate the ball the way he wanted it to bounce. His father's voiced kept cropping up into his conscious, telling him he couldn't do it, but he completely ignored it, concentrating on the shot. Following all his father's moves, it lead up to the last shot, where he jumped and spun rapidly. Even though he was spinning, he could sense where the ball was going to be and smashed his foot into the ball. The ball sailed out into the ocean, lost into the horizon. As he landed, he was amazed that he was able to accomplish the Jecht shot. Smiling like a maniac, he did a guts pose before.

"The best? Yeah right," He smirked.

Tidus suddenly felt stares and turned around to see Wakka and some of the Aurochs standing right behind him, staring at amazement. Max had gotten up after seeing Tidus start the first shot. His jaws also dropped as he had also seen the Jecht shot before, and was surprised to see Tidus be able it to it perfectly. Inside his mind, he was already formulating strategies on this and could already see the chance of victory rising up exponentially.

"Whoah! What's that called?" Wakka grilled for information.

"Doesn't have a name. Anyone can do it if they try." Tidus said. Max was confused as it clearly had a name from Zanarkand, but decided to remain silent.

"Show us one more time, ya?" Wakka begged. The rest of the Aurochs were staring with puppy eyes, too. As Tidus positioned himself, he saw Yuna looking at him too. She waved at him, making him embarrassed, before concentrating again. He performed it flawlessly again, making Wakka look like his birthday had arrived.

"I knew it! I knew you were somethin' special!" he crowed over and over again. While everyone tried to do the shot, Tidus walked over to Yuna. Max decided to accompany him over, but leaned his back to the railings, acting as if part of the background.

* * *

"That was the Jecht shot, wasn't it?" Yuna asked. Max almost fell over the railing on that but managed to hang on. Tidus, however, frowned at this and walked towards the railings, looking out into the ocean. "How do you know that?" Tidus asked. Max was also interested at this information and decided to lean in closer.

"Sir Jecht showed it to me when I was a child," she explained. "He called it the "Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark III." Max snorted at this name style but made no comments.

"Stupid name, huh?" said Tidus as he turned around to face Yuna, "You know what? There is no Mark I or Mark II, you know? My old man said the name Mark III was just something to hook the crowd. He said they'd come back every night expecting to see Mark I and Mark II. And, they really did come back. I used to get so mad."

"That's true, I remember people asking about it after games," commented Max. Yuna chuckled a bit at this explanation. There was a tedious silence between the trio before Tidus decided to break it.

"Is he alive, you think?" Tidus asked.

"I don't know. But, Sir Jecht was my father's guardian." Yuna answered.

Tidus groaned at this revelation, "So he's famous here, too?"

"Yes. So if anything happened to him, I should think word would get around fast," said Yuna.

"That's true, I guess," remarked Max, "News about famous people does get passed around fast."

"What would you do, if you found him?" Yuna asked.

"Who knows? I thought he died ten years ago," Tidus answered. He gave it some thought and walked away from the railing before answering, "Well…I'd probably just smack him one. After everything he put Mom and me through. And because he was famous, I was always…" he left it off there, not wanting to finish that sentence. He gave a glance at Yuna, remembering that her situation wasn't too far off from his.

"Well, you should know, Yuna," said Tidus. Yuna frowned at this sudden direction.

"Your father's famous, too. Everyone in Spira knows him, right?" asked Tidus. Yuna nodded in confirmation at this. "Ain't it tough?" he asked.

Yuna looked thoughtful at this statement. "It is hard to follow in his footsteps, as a summoner," she conceded. "But the honor of having a father like him surpasses all that, I think."

"Well, there wasn't much to honor about my old man, that's for sure." snorted Tidus.

"You shouldn't say that about your father!" she reproached.

"I got the right!" he answered bluntly.

"Hm. I guess you do." Yuna nodded, lowering her gaze looking sad.

Tidus felt bad and wanted to say something before a ball hit him in the elbow. He turned around to see Wakka waving at him.

"Show me that move again!" Wakka begged. Behind him, the Aurochs were warming up or trying to attempt the move, but failing horribly. Datto was trying to spin in the air and land perfectly but ended up sprawling on the floor every time, looking grinned before turning back to Yuna. She smiled at her and waved him to go Wakka.

* * *

As Tidus went to the Aurochs to show them the shot again, Max decided to strike a conversation with Yuna. "It was hard for Tidus after his father disappeared like that."

Yuna frowned at this news, not understanding too much about it.

"After his father was gone, his mom was never the same. Soon a year after that disappearing act, his mom passed away, leaving him completely alone," explained Max.

Yuna gasped at this, tears filling her eyes slightly. At this, she remembered her family, and how her situation was a bit similar to his. However, even then, she had friends and Kimahri who looked after her.

"Luckily, I was there, and so was one of Jecht's friend. That friend was weird and took a very passive approach to helping Tidus. I was able to take a more active one and got him out of his misery and anguish faster, although I do believe Tidus could have handled himself still." Max said thoughtfully.

Just as they finished, Tidus had already done the Jecht shot twice, showing that he could do it at anytime. They decided to retire for the night, getting some sleep before the big tournament tomorrow. As they slept, Tidus pondered about his father and whether he would show up in Luca. He felt something bad was coming, and so far he had been right. Due to this, he wasn't sure if he could perform with all he had at the tournament.

Max, feeling the same, whispered quietly, "Don't worry too much man." Tidus couldn't help but relax a bit and fell asleep.

* * *

 **Alright, heading to Luca. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I can't wait to write the game for the blitzball tournament. Already got ideas blooming in my head on how I'm going to write this. Read and Review!**


	16. Chapter 15 Arriving at Luca!

**Greetings from another country! Managed to borrow my friend's computer and type of the remaining of my chapter there. Good thing I upload these chapters to my drive.**

 **Usual disclaimer: I don't own FFX.**

 **Read and review! As you might notice, the announcers are in italics and bold.**

* * *

Max woke up and looked around to see that Tidus had already gone up to the decks. He stretched and quickly left the cabin to see O'aka harassing Tidus for some gil, and decided to intervene.

"I do hope you bought some of the items on my list, right?" Max said in a chilly voice.

O'aka froze for a second at this tone, before turning around and putting a frightened smile. He had heard about the nutcracker shot on Barthello from a source, and didn't want to be the victim of it.

"G-g-got some of the stuff. Rest is in Luca. I promise I'll get the rest to ye," He stammered. Max nodded and watched as O'aka stumbled away.

"Thanks for that Max," said Tidus, "He was getting annoying."

As they approached the stairs up the deck, they noticed a door that said power room. Looking at each other, they wondered what type of machina was powering the ship before entering in to see a sight they were not expecting. Two huge bipedal yellow-looking flightless birds were running in running wheels, with a person watching over them.

"What the heck is that?" Tidus asked, shocked.

The engineer of the room turned towards them. "What the heck is what?"

"What are those birds specifically," Max asked.

"You've never seen a chocobo? Or chocobo power? What type of backwater island did you come from anyway?" asked the engineer.

Max could feel a tic growing on his head at this statement and promptly left, causing Tidus to chase him.

"Backwater? Really? It's their technology that's outdated," muttered Max.

"Least there's no animal activists here, otherwise, they'd get a field day," snickered Tidus. Max grinned, remembering how some of the people back home would protest about animal rights.

"Land Ahoy! Luca's in sight!" An announcement went out from the crow's nest, causing Max and Tidus to quickly skitter to the decks and to the bow.

* * *

Looking out for the land, they saw Luca, a waterfront city with many buildings and some colorful designs. It was similar to Zanarkand, just missing the tall skyscraper buildings, mass technologies, and darker designs. They even saw a long bridge that connected to the blitzball stadium. As the ship pulled up to the docks, it was easy to see that this place had lots of people walking around, excited for today. The city was connected to the mainland that stretched out into the mountains. The docks were near the blitzball stadium, built in a circular fashion, most likely done so people could easily find their own docks without getting lost unless they were hopelessly horrible with their sense of direction. As the ship settled down and a ramp came down to the docks, an announcement could be heard.

" _Hello there people I'm Bobba."_

" _ **And I'm Jimma"**_

" _Ladies and gentleman, the day we've all been waiting for, the opening tournament of the season. This event is sponsored by Yevon. And this year we celebrate Maester Mika's 50th year in office! Ah, over there! The ships carrying the players are arriving now! This would be dock number 2."_

As the ramp finally was stabilized, the mean wearing green uniforms stepped out first.

" _All the way from Kilika, it's the Kilika Beasts! High Summoner Ohalland used to play for them–a big name to live up to. Their hometown was recently attacked by Sin. Isn't that right, Jimma?"_

" _ **Yes, Bobba. They're going to be pulling out all the stops to try and bring back the cup this year."**_

As this announcement, the Kilika Beasts seemed to be determined to win. They waved to the crowd, getting some cheers. After they get off, Wakka and the Aurochs came forward

" _Exciting, isn't it folks? Our next team off the ramp is…Well, well, well! If it isn't the Besaid Aurochs! They're a living, breathing statistical impossibility! I've never seen a team this bad! That's right! In twenty-three years they've never made it past the first round! Only a few die-hard fans are in the audience today."_

" _ **Best of luck to them and a safe journey back to Besaid."**_

Max and Tidus frowned and winced at this announcement. Wakka had downplayed the Aurochs losing streak by a lot. Not even making it pas the first round? Harsh. Yet they didn't like the announcers tone, already deciding that this year would be no different. Looking out the crowd, they saw many of them just laughing, and perhaps only two people supporting them.

" _Right, Jimma. Moving right along, our next team is… Here they are, folks! Our very own Luca Goers! They've got power! They've got speed! They've got teamwork! They're an all-around first-class team! And they're back home in Luca!"_

" _ **Without a doubt, they are the favorite this year, Bobba. And after the way they dominated last year, it'd take a miracle for them to lose today."**_

" _You can say that again, Jimma. Look at the crowd, folks! Look at the crowd! Looks like all of Luca has turned out to cheer the Goers on! They know, I know, and you know, folks! The Luca Goers are number one!"_

"They're very biased aren't they," Max frowned as he looked into the crowd. The whole crowd started to cheer and wave as the Luca Goers came down strutting. Tidus and Max could understand that being the home team had its advantages, but this took it over the top.

"Hey, it's like this every year, ya? Don't let it bother you." Wakka said sadly.

* * *

Tidus couldn't let this insult get away and looked around, spotting a megaphone. He grabbed it and was gonna yell out when Max stopped him.

"Why'd you stop me? We can't let them get away with this." Tidus grumbled.

Max shook his head, "I'm not gonna stop you, I'm joining you. Just needed some time to find another megaphone." He grinned as he pulled out the second one from another crate. Tidus grinned evilly, jumping on top of a crate before shouting into it.

"Stop right there, Goers!"

Everyone turned around to the source, looking at Tidus and Max, who joined him. Wakka looked like he was about to have a heart attack at this sudden action.

"You guys are smilin' now, but not for long!" announced Tidus.

"This year, the Aurochs are taking the cup!" yelled Max.

The crowd looked stunned at this before laughing and jeering at this. Wakka seemed embarrassed at this and tried to hide.

"Also Bickson! Hope you still remember our bet?" Max called out. The whole crowd turned to Bickson, confused. The Goers defensive line looked confused, as they didn't know any bet. The offensive line and midfielder knew about the bet but thought Bickson would have told his other team members. The Aurochs were just as confused, though. 'Whoops, forgot to tell them,' though Max as he decided to continue anyways.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Bickson and I have made a friendly wager on this. Whoever loses has to perform a "special" sing and dance to the winner," Max announced. Now the rest of the Aurochs seemed to also be having heart attacks at this.

"Heh, good luck losers," sneered Bickson, "I'll be looking forward to the show you guys do."

He left rather quickly, taking his team with him. The defensive line was asking the offensive line what the bet was even about.

"What in Yevon's name were you two doing up there?" Wakka growled. "And what bet?"

As soon as Max and Tidus told them about it, the Aurochs went so pale they could be passed off as ghosts.

"Why would you do that?" wailed Datto.

"C'mon guys, think of it as motivation," Max said calmly, "We can't lose to a team like that, and think of how enjoyable it's going to be to see Bickson's and the Goer's ego taken down."

The Aurochs envisioned this before starting to regain color. Their motivation starting going up, and soon, they were determined to win. Yuna, Lulu, and Kimahri joined them after the crowd had dispersed. Yuna seemed to be laughing at this conversation until someone yelled out "Maestor Mika is here!"

They looked to see everyone dashing to dock number 3. The rest of them were about to join when Max asked Wakka, "Hey, is there an official rule book here. There're some rules I want to check up to see if what I'm planning is legal."

Wakka was about to rage on about not knowing the rules when he saw Max's face. It was a face of a devil plotting his enemies demise. Quickly directing him to the main office, Max ran off to grab a copy while the rest of them went to dock 3.

* * *

While they were walking there, Tidus questioned them, "Mika? Maester?"

Lulu answered, "Maester Mika is the leader of all the peoples of Spira. He's come all the way from Bevelle. The tournament is being held to honor his fifty years as Maester."

"Fifty years? Shouldn't he be, uh, retired by now?" asked Tidus.

"Hey! Mind your mouth, now." scolded Wakka. Tidus shrugged, as he thought it was a legitimate question.

They arrived to see a lot of people crowding around the docks. As they waited patiently, Max had arrived with his rule book. However, it was too crowded to get to where the group was, so he decided to stay in the back while skimming through the rule book.

Soon, horns and other instruments started playing, announcing the arrival of someone important. A few soldiers stepped off, and a male wearing dark blue robes with red trimmings and a green sash stepped off. Tattoos could be seen visible on both his chests. He couldn't be defined as completely human due to the fact he seemed to have sharp fingers and visible veins pulsing on his face with purple eyes. The guard behind him was short and had completely pointed ears.

"That's a Guado, right?" asked someone in the crowd. Tidus and Max had no idea what a Guado was, and so decided to ask later about it.

"Isn't that …. Maestor Seymour?" said another person.

Seymour turned around to face the ship and did the Yevon bow. Soon, an old man with a white beard and facial hair descended down the ramps. He wore a red robe with white sleeves and other designs, signifying his importance. Everyone in the crowd did the prayer gesture and bowed, showing their respect. Well, everyone except Tidus and Max. Tidus was confused as Max just didn't really care, and hid in the shadows to observe while reading the rule book.

Mika looked out into the crowd and said, "People of Spira, I thank you for your generous welcome. Rise, Maester Seymour. And all of you as well. I present to you…the son of Maester Jyscal Guado, who departed for the Farplane a fortnight past."

Seymour rose and turned around to greet the crowd.

" As some of you already know, he has been officially ordained a maester of Yevon," Mika announced.

"I am Seymour Guado," he introduced himself, "I am honored to receive the title of Maester. In life, my father Jyscal worked to foster friendship between man and Guado. I vow to carry on his legacy, and to fulfill my duties as maester to the best of my abilities."

Everyone bowed to show him respect. Max was impressed with his goals, but yet at the same time felt something dark and off about him. Tidus felt something too, except it was mostly he didn't like him.

Wakka nudged Tidus, "You, too! Bow your head!" Tidus merely ignored it and continue observing Seymour.

As Mika walked away with his entourage, Seymour stopped to look into the crowd before spotting Yuna. He stared at her for a few moments, causing Yuna to be a little scared before staring into the floor. Tidus followed his gaze and frowned when he saw him looking at Yuna. Max also saw this but didn't think much of it.

"Really psyches you up, ya? All right! Last meeting before the match! Hustle!" announced Wakka, completely missing the fact that Seymour had been staring at someone he was guarding.

* * *

Max and Tidus went with the Aurochs while Lulu and Kimahri accompanied Yuna into town to restock on items. As Max was walking, he spotted a big green backpack. Quickly asking Wakka on where to meet up, and ran off quickly to O'aka.

"How goes the list?" asked Max. O'aka quickly turned around to face him.

"Almost complete lad. You'll get your items, I promise ye. Got any gils to donate?" O'aka asked shamelessly.

"I got a better idea. Is there a betting pool for blitzball in this place?" asked Max.

O'aka frowned before thinking, "Well there is one place to place that'll take bets, but nobody really does it. The Goers always wins, so there's no point in that. Some people do bet on who will get second place or who scores the most, but that's about it."

"What's the odds on the Aurochs winning the tournament, then?" Max asked seriously.

O'aka looked at him before laughing out loud, "Hahahaha! The Aurochs, winning and beating any teams? Like anyone will bet on that team." He continued to laugh until he saw that Max's face had not changed a bit after asking. "You serious lad?" he asked. Max nodded.

O'aka thought for a bit and tried to remember the odds the last time he saw it. "Well, if I recall, the Aurochs winning a single game is about 25:1, each bet varying on what team they play against. Adding that in and winning this tournament, I'd say its about 100:1."

"Good, I'm going to go on a limb and trust you O'aka," said Max. He gambled on the merchant's pride and his need for gils that O'aka would follow through. He tossed the rest of the gils he had on him, giving him another 5000 gils.

"I want you to take all that gils, which should be 5000, and put it all on the Aurochs winning this tournament," Max instructed. "If the Aurochs win, then I'm willing to give you a cut of 10%. I will not go any higher than that."

O'aka mouth dropped at this. If it miraculously paid off, then O'aka gain 50000 gils, giving him a big edge to buy more merchandise to sell. He was tempted to just run off with it but remembered what happened to the poor male who tried to manhandle him.

"Alright lad, I'll do it. Don't come crying if it doesn't work." O'aka warned.

"No worries. I'm confident on this one. Also, after the tournament, stick around the Aurochs for a little. You'll see something hilarious," Max grinned before dashing off to the lockers.

O'aka was still frozen on this before his mind finally rebooted and quickly ran off to the betting polls.

* * *

 **Alright! Divergence from the canon going to happen starting soon! Here will the small drops into a vast pool to start making waves.**


	17. Chapter 16 Exploring Luca and Kidnapped!

**Alright, hit past 3000 views and 10 reviews. Another milestone reached, so here's a chaper. :)**

 **Usual Discalimer: I don't own FFX. Read and Review!**

* * *

As Max reached the locker rooms, he saw Tidus waiting outside.

"I was waiting for you. Didn't want you to get lost now," Tidus grinned. Max merely shook his head before opening the door to the locker rooms. As soon as they both entered, all the Aurochs except for Wakka looked up, then back down, groaning in unison.

"Where's Wakka?" asked Tidus.

"At the match draw-ups" replied Datto morosely.

"We had to play the Goers in the first match last year." sighed Letty.

"The year before that, and the one before that, too!" groaned Jassu.

"Well, we would've lost to anyone anyway," Keepa concluded.

Max and Tidus frowned at this atmosphere. With attitudes like that, no wonder doing your best didn't work out. Their spirits were already depressed and unable to go at it 100%. Deciding a pep talk was needed, Max caught their attention just as Wakka entered the room. By punching a locker hard.

Seeing all the attention was on them, Tidus cleared his throat.

"What's our goal boys?" announced Tidus. The Aurochs mumbled out word victory quietly.

"Louder," Max sternly told them. Soon, the word victory was scattered around before strong uniting again. All the Aurochs were chanting victory loudly and united, upraising their spirits. Tidus turned around to see a grinning Wakka.

"We're playin' the Al Bhed Psyches first. If we win, we're in the finals!" announced Wakka. The Aurochs looked stunned at this news.

"That's right, we got seeded! Two wins and we're the champions! " Wakka cheered. "Before the game, let's go over the strategies Max pounded into our heads."

Max grinned. Finally, Wakka was understanding the importance of strategy for the game. Granted, there wasn't much data about the other team, but Max was gonna go watch their games and develop specific strategies for them.

* * *

While they went over different scenarios and likely plays the Al Bhed Psyches would use from past memories, Yuna suddenly came into the lockers and locked onto Tidus. Lulu accompanied her and merely leaned her back on the wall. Max was amused how fast Yuna could find Tidus, but her next words took that out of him.

"Someone said they saw Sir Auron in a cafe!" she exclaimed.

"Au-Auron?" Tidus stuttered.

"Yes, Sir Auron! Let's go find him!" Yuna said, dragging Tidus with her.

Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! The game starts like real soon! C-Come back quick, ya?" Wakka panicked.

"Hey, I'll be back," said Tidus calmly.

"Yeah, okay," Wakka said, still panicking

"Hey, Wakka. You're stiff, man," Tidus said, trying to calm him down. Wakka automatically put his hand on his face, as if trying to loosen it. "No, no, not your face. Just breathe out, relax. Like this. Just breathe, yeah!" Lulu and Yuna chuckled at Wakka's attempt to stop panicking.

While Wakka was trying to loosen up, Tidus looked over at Max.

"You want to come see Auron, too?' asked Tidus

Max shook his head, "I'm good. I want to go watch the other teams play to get a good idea about them."

Tidus nodded and left the locker rooms with Yuna while Lulu decided to stay with Wakka.

"Maybe now we can find Sir Jecht," Yuna said. Tidus gave her a confused look.

"Sir Auron was also my father's guardian," she explained, "So, he might know where Sir Jecht is. Let's go now!" She quickly exited the room with Kimahri trailing behind her.

Tidus stood there for awhile. Auron, a guardian of Yuna's father? They couldn't be the same person, right? And yet Tidus had a feeling it would be. As he was about to follow he saw two of the Al Bhed Psyches whispering to each other in a frantic conversation.

"Hey! Al Bhed Psyches, right?" Tidus greeted them, "Some Al Bhed saved me the other day, and… This girl Rikku gave me food and…" Tidus trailed off. The two were just giving Tidus a blank look. "Uh…You don't understand me, do you?" He asked. No reply was given. Sighing, he decided to try to leave a message anyways.

"Uh, anyway, if you meet Rikku, tell her thanks for me. Oh, and as for the first game? May the best team win!"

* * *

Tidus left to quickly catch up to Yuna, who was waiting patiently outside. They left quickly, going through crowds of people who were all excited for the tournament. Tidus was able to easily navigate through the crowd, but Yuna had a harder time. Fans kept stopping her and wishing her luck, and soon even a reporter came in to interview her.

"I'm sorry, please let me through," said Yuna before catching up to Tidus. The camera kept following Yuna, capturing Tidus in its sights. "Hey, let's go," she said brightly, ignoring everyone else.

Tidus scratched the back of his head, "You're really famous."

Yuna merely giggled shyly at this and they proceeded to head off to the main streets of Luca.

"How are they recording this anyways?" as Tidus noticed that the camera was still following them into the distance.

"Memory spheres," answered Yuna. "They allow us to record something onto a small special sphere for anyone to view."

"I hope we don't get separated." murmured Yuna as they walked. The streets were filled with people from all over Spira.

"Yuna!" Tidus yelled out and whistled loudly.

"What was that?" Yuna said, shocked at the sudden piercing noise.

"In Zanarkand, we do this to cheer on blitz players." Tidus laughed. "You try it, too! Put your fingers in your mouth like this."

He put his thumb and forefinger in his mouth to show as an example. Yuna struggled to try to mimic, but couldn't do it in the end.

"Hey, use that if we get separated. Then I'll come running, okay?" Tidus said. "Well, guess we should just stick together then, till you can do it."

"Yes, sir!" exclaimed Yuna, happy to stay near Tidus anyways.

* * *

They continued to explore Luca as they searched for Auron. Tidus heard a lot of different conversations, mostly about how the Goers would win. He grinned internally, and couldn't wait to see the shock on all their faces when the Aurochs win. He talked with Yuna, describing the differences of Zanarkand and Luca while exploring, and ended up running into Gatta and Luzzu.

"Aren't you going to watch the game?" asked Tidus.

"We'd like to, but we're waiting for some couriers," explained Luzzu. He frowned, looking at the time and seeing that they were late. It was tempting to go watch the game, but they needed those items. Also, Gatta was too devoted that he couldn't go anyways.

"We may be a little late, but we will go watch you play," Luzzu said.

"You'd better be winning when we get there," commented Gatta. Tidus merely smiled.

Before they left, Tidus told them to stick around the Aurochs after the game for some amusement before leaving.

They finally entered the cafe where Auron was rumored to be at.

"Auron's not here," Tidus said sadly. Yuna wasn't discouraged and started asking other people if they saw Auron or where he went. Kimahri entered in later and was confronted by two taller Ronsos with horns.

The tall black furred Ronso with yellow hair pushed Kimahri, "Why not talk, Kimahri? Not see Yenke for ten years! Say something! Kimahri forget Yenke? Forget Biran?"

Tidus's attention was drawn toward the commotion as he forgot about Yuna. He noted that these Ronsos seemed to like to talk in third-person, therefore concluded that Kimahri obviously knew these people.

"Leave Kimahri, Yenke. Kimahri is small Ronso. Kimahri so small can't see Yenke and Biran's faces," insulted the brown haired Ronso whose name seemed to be Biran.

"Kimahri forget Ronso friends? We taught you much at time of horn-molt! Biran taught Kimahri to be strong Ronso." Yenke said while flexing his muscles.

"Maybe taught too much," Biran laughed mockingly.

Tidus couldn't take the fact that Kimahri was taking all that insult without doing anything and yelled out, "Take 'em on!"

Kimahri for some reason seemed to agree with Tidus and gave a surprise uppercut to Biran, knocking him out. Soon a fight started inside the cafe between Kimahri and Yenke.

"Take it outside! The tournament's starting, you hear?" said the owner of the cafe.

"The game!" Tidus panicked. He had totally forgotten about it due to his search for Auron. He looked at the screen to see Maestor Mika giving his speech before frantically looking for Yuna.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the blitzball stadium

Max sat near the exit of the blitzball stadium. He ignored the speech from Mika as he wasn't really interested in it. He took a look at the surroundings, noticing that they didn't have platforms that surrounded the pool sphere like Zanarkand, making immediate substitutions a bit hard. Soon, the large ring started rotating. Max leaned forward, expecting to see the same technology as Zanarkand, where they electrified a small amount of water before making it burst into a full sphere. Instead, he was disappointed to see that they had several hoses pumping out water into the middle of the stadium, where a sphere was slowly forming. It was highly inefficient to Max and he turned around towards the exit, uninterested at such antiquated technology. He saw Lulu running off to the main city of Luca with a worried face. Intrigued, he decided Wakka and the team would be fine. They had trained and formed proper strategies already. The initial plan was for Max and Tidus to remain as hidden players until the finals since they didn't want the Goers to get an idea of their strengths. He sprinted away to try to catch up to Lulu.

* * *

Back at the cafe

"Kimahri, Yuna's gone!" exclaimed Tidus.

Kimahri froze at this, allowing Yenke to get a lucky right hook in. Ignoring it, Kimahri just ran towards the exit with Tidus, trying to locate Yuna. They spotted Lulu running towards them, and behind her, Max sprinting to catch up.

"Where in Spira have you been!?" said Lulu. Max then suddenly appeared from her side vision, scaring her a bit as she didn't notice Max had followed her. She quickly regained her usually stoic face before explaining to all of them.

"Yuna's been kidnapped by the Al Bhed Psyches. In exchange for her safe return, they want the Aurochs to lose."

"What!?" said Tidus and Max, outraged at this tactic.

"If they're only blitzball players, I doubt they'd do anything drastic. But we shouldn't take chances. Let's go get her." Lulu stated.

"I'm going too! This will be no problem! They're telling the Aurochs to throw the game as if they needed to! I mean, how good a team can they be?" Tidus said.

"Agreed, I'll come to. Our plan was not to play in the games unless needed anyways," said Max.

"The Al Bhed boat is in dock 4. Let's go," Lulu said before rushing off again, this time with Max, Tidus, and Kimahri.

They reached dock 5, hoping to take the short way to dock 4 as it was a circular port, but found it blocked off. Not wasting any more time, they took the long way. As they passed by dock 1, they saw that the first round of the blitzball had already ended and the second round was already close to ending. They hit dock 2 and were suddenly stopped by some metal contraptions that were laying around. As soon as they had approached, these machines suddenly activated and unfolded themselves slightly. The machines looked like they were modeled after dwarves, but only had one arm used for stabbing.

"Ancient machina salvaged by the Al Bhed. They are mostly vulnerable to lightning," Lulu said as if explaining to Tidus and Max.

Before she could cast a spell, however, an arrow shot into one of them. Right after the shot, lightning seemed to burst out of the arrow, instantly frying the machine.

Lulu instantly turned around to Max, more shocked than amused that Max had already learned how to cast _Thunder_ with the use of his arrows. Before she did anything else, Kimahri and Tidus had already drawn their weapons and destroyed the other machina.

"We don't have time for this, just run through and dodge any of those machinas," declared Max.

Agreeing with that plan, they ran forward pass dock 3, where a group of it was waiting to ambush them. They ignored and dodge their attacks, running past them and into dock 4. The group chased after them as if to delay them. Another group of it was waiting in front of them, blocking the Al Bhed ship, where it was already trying to sail away. Max and Lulu quickly casted _Thunder_ in front of them, leaving a space for them to squeeze through. As the ship started to sail away, Kimahri and Tidus managed to jump onto it. Lulu seemed to have trouble until Max lifted her and threw here to Kimahri.

Displeased at this action, she turned around only to see Max had already turned around to fight the machina they had left behind.

"Don't worry about me!" shouted Max. "I'll be fine, just need to wipe these out."

Lulu huffed but complied as she turned around. Tidus, however, knew better. He had seen Max grinning ever since he saw those robots. Max now had access to wires and other electronic equipment if he dismantled them, and nobody would even complain. Max could now fully build up anything he felt like he needed with this many parts. Tidus almost felt sorry for the Al Bhed. They were literally donating their weapons for Max to improve his now. Turning around, he walked with Kimahri and Lulu to the decks.

The ship suddenly started to shudder. Soon, a platform was raised and a huge machina appeared. Supported by four jointed legs, its body was round. On its head though was two spiraling towers that were spinning fast. Without anywhere to run, the trio stepped forward to face this machina.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Be on the look out for my next chapter, it'll come soon. Depending on how much I can get done, a double chapter might make it's appearance! Remember to review if you can!**


	18. Chapter 17 Rescue and Truths

**Alright, new chapter. Hope you guys enjoy this. Leaving Reviews isn't mandatory, but is very well appreciated!**

 **Disclaimer: Story plot and OC mine, everything else I don't own.**

* * *

 _Back at the docks_

Max could barely take his grin off. Here were finally the parts he needed to make his weapons. He had proposed the run through plan because he didn't want these machines to be destroyed. Not as long as there was a good chance of salvaging it. Max had already analyzed these machines with his arm computer and was already creating a program to safely shut them down. The machines tried to stab him, but he kept dodging. After running up a few crates the Al Bhed had placed as a barricade, he created a virus and had them sent into all of them through via wireless into the machines, safely shutting them all down. After seeing he was safe, he grabbed a rope he found lying around and tied them all up before dragging them away.

As he dragged them away, he noticed that the second game had just ended, and the Aurochs were about ready to play against the Al Bhed Psyches. He looked away and continued on, not worrying about losing at all. As he was dragging the machina, O'aka spotted him and quickly ran over.

"I did as you asked and placed all that gil in the bet that the Aurochs would win. Not the safest one, lad. The dealer just looked at me before he started laughing at me, saying if I felt like donating gils I should've just asked. The odds are a bit higher than initially planned since the Goers had stated in the interview they were going to take all teams down hard, raising it to 120:1." O'aka breathed out quickly before noticing what Max was dragging. He yelped as soon as he noticed it was ancient machina, but kept his resolve together. Afterall, this client had a chance of making him rich.

"Also got everything in your list lad. Not too sure what you want with all this, but it's done." O'aka continued as if not noticing the machina.

Max grinned, "Excellent. Now if you want that 10% to go up to 15%, then help me drag this over to a safe spot and if you can, lead me to a forge."

O'aka quickly complied, helping him drag the machina along while bragging how he knew a forge where Max could safely make all he wanted without disruptions. A few guards and people looked at them funny but dismissed it as soon as O'aka provided a cover story, saying they had confiscated those ancient machinas and were bringing them to a safe place to destroy.

* * *

 _Back on the ship_

The huge machina had been spitting blitzballs at them for a few minutes now. Lulu casted _Thunder_ repeatedly, but it didn't seem to do enough damage. Kimahri and Tidus slashed and stabbed, but its armor was too thick for them to do any real damage. Stepping back to take a slight breather and look at the situation, he noticed a crane on the side of the ship. Quickly running towards it, he tried to use it but saw that it had no power.

"Lulu!" he yelled out. "Cast your T _hunder_ spell on this crane!"

Lulu looked confused at Tidus's instruction and was about to ask why. However, seeing Tidus's determined face, she nodded and cast it while Kimahri blocked the blitzballs being hurled her way.

"Again!" yelled Tidus, looking at the screen. Lulu cast it two more times, hoping that she wasn't placing her hopes on a reckless fool. She soon had her answer.

Tidus hit the power button, causing the crane to start rumbling. Navigating through the screen, he brought it over the giant machina and picked it up. Lulu and Kimahri could only stare as the machina struggled against the crane. The weight of it proved too much stress on the center part of the machina, causing the spiraling parts to break off the machina. The machina landed on the ship again, looking heavily damaged while its spiraling parts dangled in the air.

"Aww, you lost your head. HAVE IT BACK!" yelled Tidus as he caused the crane to drop its load. Its heavy weight crashed onto the machina, causing it to stumble and shut down.

"Not bad," said Lulu as the fight was over.

They walked forward to the main cabin when the door suddenly lifted itself open. Yuna walked out calmly with an Al Bhed guard sliding down a wall.

"I hope you hurt them," said Lulu as she walked forward to give a quick hug and looked for any injuries like an older sister.

Yuna grinned, "A little."

Kimahri merely ignored the situation and walked into the main cabin. Soon, a few thump noises could be heard and the ship was turning around. Tidus took the time to look around the ship.

Yuna noticed and asked, "What is it?"

"There were these Al Bhed that saved my life and Max's when we first came to Spira," Tidus explained. "They took us on their ship, even gave us food. I was kinda hoping this was the same ship. But it's not. I wonder if they're all gone."

"What happened?" she questioned.

"Sin came up near us. Max and I made it out okay, but I don't know what happened to their ship," Tidus said.

"Um, was there anyone called Cid on that ship?" she asked, hesitantly.

"I don't know. They were all speaking that Al Bhed language." Tidus replied. Yuna's head dropped down at this. Feeling like he was missing something, he decided to ask "So who's Cid?"

"He's my uncle, but I've never actually met him," Yuna explained.

Tidus's eyebrow rose at this statement, "Wait. So that means you're Al Bhed, too, Yuna?"

Yuna nodded, "On my mother's side, yes. Cid is my mother's brother. He became distant after my mother married. But she told me to seek him out if I ever needed help."

"You're worried he was…?" Tidus stopped, realizing that if it was true then one of her family members just died.

"Don't tell Wakka about Yuna's lineage," Lulu ordered Tidus, "The thing about Wakka–he never had much love for the Al Bhed."

Tidus nodded at this before he suddenly had a thought, "Whoa! I gotta tell Wakka!"

"I thought I told you not to tell Wakka!" Lulu said angrily. Luckily Yuna knew what Tidus meant and quickly told Lulu he meant the game. Realizing that Wakka could lose the game if they didn't get confirmation of Yuna's safety, she shot a magic spell up into the skies, hoping Wakka would notice.

* * *

 _In the blitzball sphere pool_

Wakka grinned as he noticed Lulu's spell in the sky, signifying Yuna was safe. The score right now was actually 2-1 in the Aurochs favor. Wakka thanked Yevon that Max had come up with different strategies for defense and offense. The reason for the score was that if they needed more time, they would let the Psyches score, causing the game to go into overtime. Wakka had taken two hard hits into the ribs in a row from the Al Bhed Psyches earlier, and yet the referee didn't seem to make a call. It caused Wakka to float there in pain for a few seconds, allowing the Psyches a goal. Ignoring that, Wakka signaled his team for an all-out offensive. Might as well make a statement that this win wasn't by luck.

" _30 seconds left! The Aurochs are launching an all-out offensive!_

Letty had the ball and threw it as hard as he could towards Wakka. The rest of the Aurochs were acting as shields for Wakka to shoot.

" _A long pass from Letty! It goes through!"_

Wakka spun around and caught the ball and spun again without losing any momentum. As he swam, he was suddenly hit by the Psyches's captain from below with a headbutt.

" _Oh…"_

Wakka used the momentum from the hit to do a front flip. His feet landed on the back of the opponent.

" _Oh!"_

Using it as a springboard, he jumped off the surprised captain and threw the ball as hard as he could into the goal.

" _He shoots!"_

The ball sailed towards the goal at a high speed. The goalie tried his best to intercept, but it was futile. The ball landed into the goal with a satisfying thump.

" _Goooooal! Unbelievable! The Aurochs win!"_

Wakka cheered at this but groaned in pain as he felt the adrenaline going away. Quickly joining his teammates in their first victory, they slowly swam back out of the pool.

* * *

Back at the docks

"We won!" exclaimed Tidus.

"We did it! We're in the finals!" Yuna yelled happily. She was glad her older brother figure had finally gotten a victory. She was so ecstatic that hugged Tidus, before letting go quickly, blushing.

"Not the most…graceful win. If it was Chappu, he'd still be standing." Lulu judged.

"Hey, aren't you being just a little unfair?" Tidus complained. It was still a victory.

"Excuse me?" Lulu snarled.

Tidus hesitated before explaining his reasons, "I know I could never take Chappu's place. You're the one who told Wakka that, right, Lulu? And I don't think Wakka would ever try to take Chappu's pl–"

"You don't want to finish that sentence," Lulu said coldly, causing Tidus to stumble and shut up.

As they walked back, Yuna noticed that Max wasn't with them.

"Where's Max?" Yuna asked. Lulu turned around and noticed it too. She also noticed that all the machina had somehow disappeared. Not even remains of destroyed machina was seen, making Lulu doubt he fought them.

"Don't worry, He'll show up," Tidus said calmly. "There's still the playoffs for the first two rounds, so we have some time."

* * *

 _Meanwhile, at a private forge_

Max was hammering away on the forge. The items O'aka had bought were of top quality and made it easy for Max to craft the items he needed. He took a look at a screen that O'aka had brought in and a few memory spheres. When Max took the item he was crafting to cool off, he was looking at the screen. The semi-finals had started, and it was the Kilika Beasts versus the Luca Goers. The Kilika Beasts were indeed trying to pull off all the stops, trying to bring the cup back home. The Goers, however, had an excellent defensive line, preventing their offense from being effective. Max turned around to focus back on crafting. He had made a variety of single-use weapons and was sure Wakka would turn him in if he ever found out. As he took a look at his arm computer to look up a few more schematics, there was a buzzer, signifying a goal. He looked up to see Bickson had shot a goal in, widening the score to 3-0.

'Bickson may have a big mouth, but he does have some skill to back it up,' thought Max. Still, plans were already being made to stifle his play. Max grinned as he saw the final pieces for his weapon coming together. Laughing maniacally, he set his mind to craft something else.

Outside the forge, O'aka was shivering. Here was a mad man creating who knows what with all those parts. Still, that client was going to bring him a lot of gils if things played out right. He was surprised that the Aurochs had actually won the first round. Many people attributed as luck or the Psyches underestimating their opponents, but O'aka knew somehow Max had a hand in their plays.

* * *

 _Back to the lockers_

Tidus and the party soon entered the lockers to find the Aurochs all surrounding Wakka. He laid on the bench tops, struggling to keep the pain down. The Aurochs were all panicking. If Wakka wasn't able to play and Tidus and Max weren't back, they would have to forfeit the game. As soon as Wakka heard the door open, he looked up and grinned as he saw Yuna safe.

Yuna apologized as soon as she saw Wakka's current state, "All this because of me. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"How can you let some Al Bhed kidnap you?" Wakka lectured. It looked like he was about to go into a rant, so Tidus decided to intervene.

" Hey, let it go, all right?"

Wakka decided Tidus was right and decided to end with "Don't go near Al Bhed anymore, okay? They're trouble."

Tidus took a glance at the screen to see that the Goers had won 4-0. There would be another game in 10 minutes between the Kilika Beasts and the Al Bhed Psyches to see who would get third place, and a 40-minute break after, leaving Wakka an hour to recover.

"Yuna, can you use your white magic to heal Wakka as much as possible?" Tidus asked while he fished out a potion. From one glance, Tidus could tell Wakka had several bruised ribs, possibly one of them cracked. However, he knew Max had plans that involved Wakka being able to play.

Yuna nodded and walked forward, hands glowing white as she cast Cure. Wakka tried to wave her off, but couldn't do much but slightly struggle. Tidus tossed a potion to a surprised Lulu, who managed to catch it.

"Can you rub this potion over Wakka's ribs while Yuna is using her magic? We need Wakka to be able to play somewhat if we want to completely dominate those Goers and achieve our goal of victory," Tidus grinned.

Lulu huffed but complied, rubbing the potion softly over Wakka's chest. Tidus noticed a slight blush on Lulu's cheeks but decided not to say anything. He didn't want a Fire spell up his butt anytime soon.

* * *

The game finished with the Kilika Beasts winning third place in the tournament. During the break, Tidus had the Aurochs check for any injuries and led them through a series of warm-ups and cool downs for the game. With 5 minutes left before the game, the Aurochs were slightly panicking until Max finally showed up. Wakka, who was feeling much better, turned to lecture Max about being on time when he saw Max had soot all over him. Without even glancing at anyone, he went to the showers to get rid of the soot. Tidus merely took it without batting his eyes and asked if Max was ready to play. Max nodded his head as he quickly stripped in the showers and washed all the grime away from his body. His clothes were tossed in the next shower, with the water streaming down, cleaning his clothes and armor. The arm-guard, however, was tossed to Tidus. The group raised their eyebrows at this, but Tidus merely held on to it until Max was finished.

"All right!" Wakka said as he slowly stood up. His ribs were still sore, but it was better than before.

"I got something to tell you boys," he announced. "After this game… I'm retiring," The Aurochs were shocked and tried to convince Wakka not to, but he held up his hand to forestall any argument. "I promised myself this would be my last tournament. Win or lose, I'm quitting blitzball. But you know… Since we're here, we might as well win!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah!" yelled the Aurochs, pumping their fist up.

"A-Am I on the bench?" Botta asked glumly.

"Alright boys, hope you're ready, this is going to be our formation for now," said Max as he stepped out of the showers, all dressed up again. After looking at the diagrams of his strategies as well as highlighting a few rules, the Aurochs and Wakka grinned. There were loopholes that Max had exploited ruthlessly, and strategies they didn't even think to come up with.

"All right, boys, let's win this one!" Wakka announced, "Let's make the Goers goners!"

"Let's blitz!" shout Tidus.

"Hooah!"

* * *

Everyone left the lockers, ready for the game, except for Lulu and Wakka.

"I saw you floating there, on the sphere," stated Lulu, looking awkward and out of place of her usual attitude. She had taken the chance to see a memory sphere of the game, and gasped as she saw Wakka take two hard hits. She had thought the injuries had come from one bash, not several, making her feel guilty.

"Hey, you weren't supposed to see that." Wakka tried to dismiss that image from her mind.

As he walked forward, pain coursed through his ribs again, causing him to stumble forward. Lulu instinctively went forward to catch him. As she caught him, she gave him a hug that if anyone saw, it would seem to be a lover's embrace.

"You really gave it your all, didn't you?" Lulu whispered into his ears.

Wakka could only weakly chuckle at this as he sat down again. This time, Lulu took out an ointment that Max had tossed her earlier in the lockers. It was meant to help with sports related injuries and was more effective than potions, for they were for general pains. She slowly rubbed her hand on Wakka's ribs with the ointment in her hands. They silently stayed together for awhile.

Kimahri and Yuna had left to go get good seats at the stadium while the rest of them were outside a hatch that led into the sphere pool. Max had already asked the officials about his strategy and make compelling arguments to allow it. He grinned as the final pieces for his strategies were falling into place. They gathered themselves in a circle and put their hand together at the center

"All right, boys, what are we going to do?" Tidus questioned.

"Win!" was the reply that everyone shouted.

"For captain Wakka," Botta added. Nobody disagreed with that statement.

Soon, the hatch opened, allowing them in.

"Let's do this boys!" shouted Tidus. "3, 2, 1, lets BLITZ!"

They all raised their hands to the skies in sync before entering the pool.

At the same time in the locker rooms, Wakka looked at it one last time. Lulu was slightly supporting him in case he fell again. On the wall was a note that he wrote for all his teammates and future Aurochs.

 _My best memories are here._ Wakka, Captain of the Besaid Aurochs.

* * *

 **On a side note, you may have noticed that I skipped a part where Lulu was supposed to have seen Wakka get bashed twice. Reason I took that out is because I have a hard time believing that Tidus and the party can go from the main center of Luca all the way back to the port, fight off machina, get on a boat and fight a boss, and rescue Yuna in 10-12 minutes. I tried to make it seem like it took more time, thus multiple games happening while they were on their mission.**

 **Also, DOUBLE CHAPTER RELEASE! GAMES UP NEXT**


	19. Chapter 18 Let's BLITZ! Game begins!

**It's game time! I had a lot of fun writing this one out. If my characters seem ooc, I apologize, but yea this was fun!**

 **You might notice I didn't exactly follow the cannon version, becaue I felt like this way would be better. :) Read to find out what happened!**

* * *

" _This is it, folks! In just a few minutes, the championship game!"_

" _But who could have imagined… a championship game between these two teams? Our legendary Luca Goers going against… the horrendously ill-fated Besaid Aurochs!"  
_ As the announcement was going on, A man stepped into the stadium and leaned his back against eh wall, near the exit. Wearing a red coat and high collar, he pushed his glasses up as he looked toward the sphere pool. _  
_ _ **"**_ _ **This looks like history in the making, Bobba."**_

In another part of the stadium, Yuna's hand was slightly clenched. Around her, people were already celebrating that the Goers were going to be the victors. Random conversations went around, and she didn't like them at all.

"They don't stand a chance in the finals"

"Did you hear? They got some players who claimed to have come from Zanarkand."

"Pfft like we even need to worry. What can some losers do from a ruined city."

Then one conversation picked her ears.

"I heard some idiot actually made a bet that the Aurochs would win."

"Seriously? What a loser. Must be a die hard fan"

Yuna was glad that there was someone who had confidence that the Aurochs would win like she did. She gazed out into the sphere pool, hoping to see Tidus in action.

* * *

The Goers entered in the sphere pool first, drawing in the crowds. What surprised everyone was that there was now a platform at both sides of the pool. The Aurochs had gathered themselves at the platform, ready to go. The crowd counted and was confused. There were seven people on it, and clearly, the blitzball game only allows six. Who was sitting out or what was going on? It became clear as six of them entered the sphere pool while one man sat out, although he looked like he was ready for action at any moment.

Both teams swam towards the middle, with Tidus leading the front as sub-captain. The person who was stationed as a replacement player on the platform was Letty, as Max had taken his place. Bickson looked like he was laughing as he swam a bit more forward and put his hand out as if to shake hands. Tidus was confused and was about to accept it when he sensed the water movements suddenly change. He leaned back, avoiding a punch from Bickson, although it was merely a scare tactic. _  
"They're already going at it, folks! The Goers are taunting the Aurochs!"_

Tidus fumed at this but knew to keep cool. After all, they were planning to humiliate the Goers in the game and afterward. They took their places in the sphere pool. Max and Tidus took a glance at their line and smirked as nothing had changed in their lineups. Soon, the bell rang, and the blitzball was brought forward to the machina, ready to be shot up.

Wakka had felt recovered and wanted to go out to the platform as soon as possible, but Max was against it. He wanted Wakka to recover as much as possible and planned for him to show up in the second half. So he laid down on the bench after doing a few light warm-ups. Lulu had stayed with him as long as possible but soon left to stay with Yuna. Wakka watched the screen, waiting for the game to being. He wasn't worried. Tidus was a great shooter, and Max was a cunning strategist. With those two on his team, victory was in sight.

" _And let the games BEGIN!"_

* * *

The ball shot up in the middle, signaling the start of the match. Graav jumped forward with great speed, as the Luca Goers were usually the first to get the ball thanks to him. However, he seriously underestimated Max, who had also leaped forward with even greater speed, grabbing the ball first. Using this momentum, he swam forward dodging Graav. Albus gave chase while Bickson stayed on offense. He had confidence that the ball would easily fall back into their hands, and a swift pass to him would give him the perfect sight for a goal. Unfortunately, he underestimated Max's tactics. As Max swam forward, the defensive line Doram swam forward to intercept. As soon as she moved, Max threw the ball to his left. They all watched the ball sail through the water, expecting someone to catch it. They didn't expect Tidus already winding up in position to shoot. He timed it perfectly and kicked the ball right as it came to him. The ball flew swiftly towards the goal. The Goers goalie Raudy had good instincts, but he was unprepared for the sudden shot. The usual grab the ball and then shoot was ingrained in all the blitzball players in Spira, and so reacted slower than usual. The ball landed in the goal with a thump.

The stadium was deathly silent, fans with their jaws dropped down. The game had just started, and a goal was already made thirty seconds in. Auron smirked as he saw this tactic. He had been to some of Tidus's game and knew when Max's strategies were in play. He took a look and saw that Max was actually playing this time. He leaned back to watch the game, knowing the Goers were in trouble.

" _The Aurochs score first"_

At this announcement, the crowd erupted into cheers. It didn't matter that the Aurochs made the goal first, this was a shot that nobody had seen, and had them in a frenzy. Yuna was amongst the most vocal cheers, which surprised Lulu and Kimahri. Here was a shy and mostly small-voiced girl who was supporting the Aurochs with all her heart.

" _The audience is cheering the Aurochs, isn't it exciting folks!"_

Tidus smirked as he saw the Goers bewildered faces as he swam back into position. Max gave him a high five before heading back into position.

Bickson was seething at this. How dare these losers make a goal and take the lead! Signaling Graav, he made the hand sign to have the Aurochs lured forward before passing the ball to Albus, who would pass it across to Bickson, who would be near the sphere pool edge so as not to attract attention when the remaining Aurochs swam towards him. This double lure worked properly in the past, so it should be effective, right?

The ball shot up again, this time towards Graav as the right of the ball went to them since the Aurochs scored. As he swam slightly forward, Datto and Max swam forward to intercept. Slightly surprised that Tidus didn't come, he swam a bit backward to lure them in before passing the ball to Albus. When Albus caught the ball, he was met with both Botta and Jassu. Feeling the plan was working, Albus quickly passed it to Bickson, who was supposedly free. Right after he threw it, he realized his mistake. Tidus was supposed to be their forward left, and yet he wasn't defending against him. As the ball flew, Bickson's eye was on the ball, focused on getting that goal that he didn't notice someone swimming towards him from below. Right as he caught the ball, Tidus bashed Bickson right out the sphere pool.

The audience all stood up at this sudden violent tackle and were waiting for the judge to make a call. Surprisingly, the referee just remained silent even after this hit. Tidus grabbed the blitzball and quickly swam forward . This time Goer defensive line Doram and Balgerda swam forward to intercept. Tidus was tempted to use the Jecht shot, but opted not to, remembering Max's plan.

* * *

 _Flashback begins_

" _Tidus, I know that you can get rid of defenders blocking you shot with the Jecht shot, but I want you to not use that move until the second half of the game. We don't want to have them make you a bigger target than you are now._ "

 _Flashback ends_

* * *

Instead, he turned around and passed it right to Max. Max caught it and threw his throwing arm back as if to aim for the goal. Raudy mentally prepared for any shot that this person would do, but was still not prepared. Max threw the ball towards the goal towards the top right corner. Raudy tried to lunge to block it, but the goal wasn't the target. Instead, the metal edge of the goal was Max's target. It rebounded, soaring towards the right, right into Datto's hand. Datto was surprised but immediately kicked the ball back to the goal to the top left this time. Raudy tried to swim to that direction to catch it, but the ball still made it through, stopping the clock at the 1 min 25 sec mark.

Bickserson quickly made it back into the sphere pool and automatically called a timeout. He furiously swam towards the referee, having many different rude gestures in mind. Max and Tidus quickly also swam to the referee to see if they could defuse the situation.

"That was completely illegal! The Aurochs should relinquish their right to even play here!" shouted Bickson furiously. Many of the Goers fans were in agreement, but they did agree that tackle made the game entertaining.

"It's not illegal Bickson." said Max calmly. Bickson turned around, ready to punch him. Graav managed to hold him back, but barely. "I checked the rule book and the judges, and they agree that tackle was legal. You had the ball, and Tidus tackled you to get it. The fact that you were blasted out of the pool was just unfortunate."

"He's right," said the referee. "Now get back in there and play."

Bickerson didn't give up, though, "So if my team does it, that means it's legal right." He grinned inside, hoping that his new scheme would work.

"Yep," replied Max. He didn't even seem bothered at this, "But remember, up to _six_ players may be in the sphere pool."

Still steaming mad, Bickerson turned around and swam back to play. Meanwhile, the crowd were still confused until an announcement was made.

" _I've just received word the tackle that Tidus did was within all rules. So the Aurochs score another_ _GOAL!"_

* * *

The ball launched towards Graav again. This time, Bickerson didn't waste anytime swimming forward towards Datto. He signal Graav to throw it towards him, and purposely dodged it. Datto ended up catching the ball, and was about to swim forward when Bickson bashed him out of the pool this time. Grabbing the ball, he swam towards the goal, intent on making a goal. Two people and a goalie would not stop him from scoring, and as he neared the goal, he realized something was wrong. There were three people and a goalie in his way now. 'How did someone get here so fast?' he thought. He couldn't stop his plan, and shot for the goal with his strongest and fastest kick. The ball made it through Botta and Letty, but Jassu was able to get a hand int it, causing the ball to slow down. As the ball was nearing the goal, Keepa was keeping a calm mind. Usually, when a ball came, he was frightened, but ever since those lectures with Max and Tidus, he learned not to fear the ball. Seeing the ball start to drift left, he dove towards the left and blocked the goal.

The crowds cheered as they saw Bickson bash someone out, but were shocked that somehow Letty entered the game and Keepa managing to block Bickson's shot. Bickson himself was confused until he remembered Max's word about players in the pool and cursed. When he had shot Datto out, five players were in the pool, allowing Letty to quickly substitute for Datto. The Goers couldn't use the replacement tactic as they didn't have any reserve players. Who would, as all the other blitzball teams didn't have one either. The ball floated in the water sphere for a little until Max caught the ball. He swam forward with Tidus, making all the Goers do a full out retreat, playing defensively. They couldn't allow another goal with these two. Sadly, they were mistaken again about the Aurochs plan as Max suddenly turned around and passed it to Letty. Confused, they stayed there for 40 seconds until they realized the Aurochs was just throwing it to each other, wasting valuable time. The whole Goer team charged forward, intent on bringing pain and scoring a goal. The Aurochs played defensively, passing the ball to each other, not allowing the Goers to grab the ball. Bickson didn't seem to care as he was losing his self-control and trying to tackle everyone. The Goers tried to predict where the ball would be and intercept them, but it was always a miss. By sheer luck, though, Doram managed to corner and tackle Letty out of the ball and passed it to Albus, who quickly shot it into the Aurochs goal, making it 2-1.

" _And the Luca Goers Albus makes a goal! Is this a sign that the Goers are going to make a comeback?"_

The crowd cheered at the goal and commentary. Yuna, however, trusted that the Aurochs would win even against all odds.

As the players settled back into their positions, Letty quickly swapped back with Datto while the time read 4 min 20 sec. Deciding it was time, Max signaled Tidus it was time to do Operation Skyfall. Tidus sighed at Max's naming sense at one of his favorite shot but agreed. Soon, the ball was launched towards Max. He quickly swam forward and down while Tidus swam back to the Aurochs goal and up a little, confusing the Goers. Deciding Max was the bigger threat, Graav, Albus, and Bickson swam to intercept Max. When they were close to him, they saw him grin and tried to turn around, hoping to block whoever it was from getting the pass. Instead, Max kicked the ball as hard as he could straight up, blasting the ball out of the sphere pool. The crowd gasped at this move, not understanding the point of this until what happened next. With everyone's eyes on the ball in the air, Tidus swam up with all his might and blasted himself upwards to the ball. This was the perfect setup for one of his signature shot, the sphere shot. Lazily doing a backflip, Tidus grinned as he was about to shoot. Last time he did this shot, Sin had interrupted him. Now, nothing was going to prevent from doing his shot. Slamming his foot down on the ball with his flip, the ball shot down back into the sphere and headed right towards the goal. The ball seemed to be going to the top right corner of the Luca's goal, so the goalie leaped there to block it. Unfortunately, he was just not used to Tidus's shots as the ball curved hard to the left, scoring yet another point just as the timer hit the 4 min 55 sec mark making the score 3-1. At this short time, the Luca Goers had no time to change the flow.

" _Goal! Goal! Goal! Unbelievable! The crowd is going wild!"_

Tidus looked around to see that indeed the crowd was cheering them. He looked around and saw Yuna in the stadium. Feeling lucky, he waved at her and winked, causing Yuna to blush a little. The people around her, however, thought that the player was winking at them, and soon a slight scuffle came on who he was winking at. Yuna knew it was definitely her, though.

The crowd was in a frenzy. This obviously was a brand new Besaid Aurochs team that was playing. Any strategies that Goers came up were shut down, and new strategies that they never imagined were being used, changing the game meta completely. Just as the ball launched again, Graav gave a desperate kick, but it didn't reach the goal in time and the halftime buzzer rang.

" _And it's halftime."_

" _ **The Aurochs are playing really great, Bobba. Hopefully, the Goers will get their next wind in the second half, though."**_

* * *

 _Auroch's Lockers_

As the Aurochs went back to the lockers to breath and cool down, Max was automatically checking for any injuries. Datto seemed to have a slight bruise from being bashed out of the pool, but it was nothing too serious.

As they took the break, Max approached Wakka. "How's the injury? Able to play in the second half?"

Wakka nodded, "Its a little tender, but nothing I can't handle."

"Good," said Max, "the plan is going well, but Bickson is definitely losing his temper. Everyone needs to be careful in case he does something drastic."

All the Aurochs nodded as they prepared themselves for the second half.

 _Goer's Lockers_

Bickson was letting out a stream of cuss words at a very high pace. He was insulting Raudy for not doing a proper job as goalie, defenders at not defending, his whole team for falling for all those strategies.

"We have to win," screamed Bickson, "I refuse to lose to these losers, no matter the cost!"

The Goers looked at each other uneasily. Sure they had played rough ball, but it had always been within the rules. Bickson, however, seemed to want to cross that line.

* * *

 _Back into the sphere pool_

The second half was starting, and both sides lineups hadn't changed at all. Wakka was leaning at the exit nearest to the platform, ready to go. However, Max didn't want the Goers to know that yet. The ball was launched, signifying that start of the second half. Graav managed to grab it first this time, mostly out of desperation to catch up that he put all his power on his feet for the biggest burst of jump he had done in his career. However, it was useless as any strategies they had planned kept being read as if someone had taken the time to study them and develop counters. Time kept being wasted, and the chance to win for the Goers was slipping further away. Graav passed it to Bickson, who swam forward. Datto moved to intercept when it happened. Bickson threw the ball back at Graav, making Datto lose momentum as he stopped to try to be ready for the ball. Bickson, who had lost his temper, bashed Datto hard in the chest. Datto was out of breath at this and tried to recover when Bickson kicked him hard in the shin. Datto curled up, trying to soothe his shin when Bickson bashed him again, this time out of the sphere pool.

" _That's gonna leave a mark folks."_

" _ **Ah, but the referee doesn't call the foul. Datto just took a real beating!"**_

Tidus and Max were now pissed. That was a deliberate part on Bickson, and the referee was playing favorites! Letty quickly dived into the pool while Wakka went to see if Datto was alright. The other Aurochs were furious and tried to corner Bickson.

"NO!" shouted Max, "Its a TRAP!"

Because of this, they left Albus wide open, Graav passed the ball to Albus, who quickly closed into the pool and shot. Keepa tried his best, but his anger affected his play and missed, letting the Goers score. It was now 3-2.

The fans were going wild. The Goers were catching up, and would obviously show the Aurochs who was number 1. Yuna frowned as he saw Wakka pick Datto up. Datto didn't land well onto the pavement, and it looked like he was seriously injured. The Aurochs quickly called a time-out to assess Datto's injuries. As they were discussing, the fans started to get impatient.

" _The fans are getting impatient! They're calling for some action!"  
_ Soon, Wakka's name was being called out by everyone in the crowd. _  
"Everyone seems to be calling for Wakka, folks!"_

Max took a look at the timer and saw that it was on the 3 min mark. Deciding it was time, he called in the team, discussing the formation and plans. They all looked grim at Datto's injuries, but fierce determination shown through. Datto was quickly taken into the lockers to rest while Letty watched over him.

The team all looked at each other and nodded. Time to make history.

" _I wonder what's happening? The crowd is going wild!"_

Soon they entered the sphere pool, but this time, Wakka was taking the lead position as captain. _  
"Ah! It's Wakka! He's back on the field and ready to go! The Aurochs seem glad to have him back."_

* * *

As they took their positions, everyone noticed Tidus took right forward this time while Wakka took left forward. Confused, the Goers decided to proceed with caution. All of them except Bickson.

The ball was launched towards Max, who caught it and automatically tossed it to Tidus. Tidus swam as fast as he could towards the enemy goal. He passed by Graav easily and soon was met with 3 blockers. Bickson looked like he was about to commit murder and be happy about it while Doram and Balgerda were determined to block his shot. Tidus grinned and thought to himself '3 defenders. Perfect. This one's for you Datto.'

" _He shoots!"_

Tidus dropped the ball to his foot and kicked it as hard as he could.

Right into Bickson's smug face. His head flew back at this impact, dazed and unable to do any form of blocking soon. The ball flew back at Tidus, who headed the ball as hard as he could into Doram. Doram was still in shock at Bickon's sudden state that she was also hit in the chest. The ball flew back at Tidus again, who spiked it hard right towards Blagerda's chest. She was able to bring her arms up to a cross shape and blocked it, but the impact made her drift back a little, forcing her out of position. The ball rebounded on her arms and flew up to a waiting Tidus, who was already spinning rapidly. As he was spinning, his thoughts went out to Yuna, who he hoped was watching this. He smashed the ball with his foot using all that build up momentum towards the goal. It was faster than any shots that Tidus had done previously. Raudy was still shocked that three blockers that were supposed to help him were suddenly taken out and couldn't even react in time as the ball slammed itself into the goal. Tidus felt slightly bad for Doram and Balgerda, but had no guilt for Bickson at all.

As it turns out, Yuna was indeed watching it with great concentration. She felt her heart go out as Datto was taken out of the game, and felt anger at Bickson. She was surprised at this emotion, but kept it together, but her hands were clenched. Soon, she saw Tidus swimming forward, and her heart was pounding as he was confronted by Bickson and the two other defenders. She was afraid that Bickson would hurt Tidus, but that worry vanished as soon as Tidus kicked the ball right into his face. She stood up, knowing what shot Tidus would be performing. As all three defenders were knocked out of position, she was already jumping for joy. As the ball made it into the goal, she was trying her hardest not to cheer out loud into the now silent crowd.

The whole crowd was silent. The shot Tidus had done defied all their imagination, period. They had heard of fast shots or power shots but never had they seen it used to take out blockers, especially three of them. Even the announcers seemed shocked until Bobba finally spoke.

" _Goal... What an amazing shot! The Aurochs now lead 4-2!"_

Soon, the silent crowd grew in volume, and soon everyone was shouting themselves hoarse at this shot. Conversations were going out like made at this shot. Who was this player, and how was he so good without anyone hearing about him? Was he the Aurochs secret weapon? It didn't matter as everyone couldn't stop talking. Auron merely grinned when he saw Tidus perform the shot. He reminisced the time when Jecht wouldn't stop bragging about this shot and how nobody would be able to do it. Well, almost nobody.

Tidus grinned and swam back, leaving all the Goers stunned. Bickson was still in shock from the hit in the face with the ball that most of the temper was driven out and now replaced with fear. Fear that these two new additions to the Aurochs would cause them to lose the game.

The blitzball was launched towards Graav, who seemed a bit lost at what to do now. All strategies they had used were proven useless, and Bickson seemed to still be in shock. He quickly tossed it to Albus, hoping he could swim through and get a lucky shot. As Albus swam through, he made a quick kick to the goal, hoping for a miracle. Keepa, with renewed determination, caught the ball when he leaped. He quickly tossed to Botta, who tossed it, Max. Max quickly tossed it to Tidus again, who was making a break towards the goal,except this time he seemed to be going for a higher point. All the Goers went to block him, not wanting to leave any chance at Tidus making that shot again. As soon as they got near him, Tidus turned around and threw the ball to Wakka, who was in the middle of the field with Max. The time was at 4 min and 30 sec now. As he caught the ball, he remembered Max's words.

* * *

 _Flashback begins_

" _Wakka, I want you to make the last shot to sort of make a statement. When you take this shot, I want you to remember all you teammates, Past and Present. Put everything, all your soul, in this one shot"_

 _Flashback ends_

* * *

Max bend forward, letting Wakka use his back like a spring as he jumped up. Wakka winded his arm further back then he had ever before. He remembered all the names of his teammates,those who had put their sweat and tears into this game with him.

'Datto, Letty, Botta, Jassu, Keepa, Max, Tidus.'

Then he remembered one name that was the most important to him from his past.

'Chappu' This name brought a slight tear to his eyes.

Using all his strength and spirit, he roared out loud and threw this powerful shot towards the goal. It wasn't as fast as Tidus's shot, but it had an obscene amount of power backed up into it. The two Goer defensive line managed to get their hands on it, but it did almost nothing to slow it down. Raudy, not willing to let this one get in easily, leaped up and caught the ball. Ecstatic that he had caught it, he tried to bring it down when he found it he was still struggling with this shot. The ball did not seem to want to be denied and was drilling further him, dragging Raudy with him. Raudy, using all his strength, tried to bring it down. But this shot would not be denied its place in the goal, and so finally Raudy was forced to let go. The blitzball drilled its way in the goal, causing the score to be 5-2 now. The time right now was 4 min and 42 seconds, crushing any hope the Goers had on catching up. The whole crowd was going wild as the ball was launched towards Graav, who along with all the Goers, already lost their will to fight. As soon as the buzzer rang signifying the end of the game, the crowd hadn't stopped cheering.

" _Unbelievable! The Aurochs win, folks! This is one for the record books!"_

Lulu was actually among the ones cheering for once. This out of character surprised Yuna, but she didn't care as she was also cheering her heart out. When Wakka had made that shot, Lulu's heart was pounding, and out of everyone, she was the only one who saw that small teardrop that came from Wakka's eyes and knew he had thought about Chappu. Still, Lulu had to give it up for Wakka to be able to make this powerful shot and was clapping for him anyways. This would be a good day for them.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. As you might have noticed, I didn't take Tidus out of the game. I wanted him in the full time, but I had to find someway to get Wakka in. Poor Datto, being bashed out of the pool like that, but it worked out.**


	20. Chapter 19 Fiends, Truths, and the Bet

**Hope you enjoyed my blitzball game chapter! I enjoyed writing it. Just in case, remember last week was a double chapter release! read and review!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own FFX**

* * *

Everyone was still cheering at the Aurochs victory. It was unbelievable that the worst team in the history of Spira would suddenly rocket their way up to the top. The Aurochs in the pool gathered in the middle to bask in their glory while the Goers left, slumped in their defeat. Nothing could possibly go wrong... until it happened.

Fiends suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the stadium. Lupine fiends and flying fiends were lashing out at the audience. Everyone was in a panic, and the guards weren't doing any better. In the sphere pool, aquatic fiends were moving about. Luckily, Wakka had a blitzball, so he was able to take care of them while everyone retreated out of the pool. Max and Tidus dashed towards the lockers, grabbing their weapons, before heading into the stadium to help deal with the fiends. Since Wakka already had his weapon, he merely headed straight to find Yuna, trusting that Tidus and Max could handle themselves together.

As they were running, Tidus noticed that Max still had his wooden bow.

"I though you made your new weapons already with all those parts?" Tidus asked confused.

"It's not ready yet, still needs to cool down and hammer some more before they are done," responded Max. "O'aka's watching my stuff for me for now."

As they ascended the stairs, they found the last person they would have expected to see. The same person who personally brought them into this world.

Auron was standing and shrugging his red sleeve off his left hand and merely observing the crowd when a thick-skinned dinosaur looking fiend decided to try to attack him. Keyword, try. Auron shifted his body to the right before bringing his sword down the fiend's long neck, instantly killing it.

"Auron!" shouted Tidus, a little harsher than he thought he would be. Wakka came up to them and was about to lead Tidus and Max to where Yuna was when he saw Auron.

"Sir Auron!" Wakka gasped

"So, you do know him," Tidus asked Wakka.

He slowly turned around, surprised that Max and Tidus knew such a famous figure, but still managed to answer back, "Yeah, best guardian there ever was."

* * *

Fiends started to pop up again, prompting them to break their discussion and focus on fighting to protect the people. While they were focused fighting, Tidus heard people gasp, and soon a high pitched noise followed, signifying that a summoning was taking place. Figuring it was Yuna, he turned around and was startled to see Seymour was the one summoning.

The lights rose to the sky, but instead of an aeon being summoned from the skies, an anchor came from the heavens and sunk into the ground right in front of Seymour, into a pool of darkness. Then, it started pulling upwards, and an aeon was slowly pulled out. However, this aeon looked a bit mishappened and something from a nightmare. Only the upper torso of the aeon was shown and was wrapped in chains, allowing no free movement. On its sides seem to be some sort of shell, like a clam. Finishing off its dull brown color was the head that was heavily masked with bandages on the upper part of its head. Its mouth had many sharp teeth, and two long protruding fangs could be seen. On the head mask was one hole to allow its left teal eyes to see. Soon, light seem to be gathered at its eye before shooting a beam right into the fiends, instantly causing the fiends to erupt into pyreflies. It did several times, destroying all the fiends in the stadium, saving everyone. Everyone looked at Seymour with revere as he calmly looked over the crowd before dismissing his aeon.

* * *

Wakka snapped out of his shocked and yelled "Yuna!" before running away to find Yuna. Tidus and Max wanted to follow but both were gripped with indecision to find Yuna or finally get some answers off Auron. A conclusion was made when they both saw Auron head off to one of the docks.

"Tidus, I'm going to head back to the forge to see if anything got damaged by that sudden invasion and perhaps finish up my weapons. You go ahead and grill Auron for answers," Max said. Tidus nodded and ran off, intent on getting all his questions answered.

After most of the city had finally calmed down, the championship cup was presented to Wakka and the Aurochs. Most of the audience was still in shock that the Aurochs had not only passed the first round but actually won the cup. The Aurochs all gathered at the Luca main square, along with Lulu, Kimahri, and Yuna. Originally, the plan was to have Wakka say his farewells and meet up with them near the exit of the city towards the mountains, but Max advised to stay a bit closer to the main square, hinting at some good amusement incoming. Lulu didn't want to see it, but Yuna wanted to see, and so Lulu caved into her decision, knowing that it wouldn't take too long anyways.

* * *

Max was back at his forge, gathering everything he had made and put it in his utility belt. It was amazing to see how Max could actually fit everything in there as if there was another dimension in each pocket, but Max ignored it. As he finished gathering all his gear and tying some items into a cloth backpack, O'aka came in with gils for eyes.

"I'm rich!" he shouted, "Lad, this investment has paid off big time. We made 600,000 gils off that bet. Since you promised me 15%, that's 90,000 for me and 510,000 for you. Fine seed money for my empire."

O'aka was still dancing when he noticed Max had finished packing and was looking at O'aka. He calmed down and paid attention to Max, knowing he wanted something and it would get him more gils.

"O'aka," Max said calmly, "You've done everything I wanted well, so I'm going to make a deal with you. I will take only 110,000 gils with me and leave the rest to you."

O'aka thought he was dreaming until Max's next sentence stopped him, "This is not a donation, but rather a loan. I'm not going to be able to take all that gill with me, but I have another proposition for you. I give you 400,000 gils as a loan, and you give me discounts on your items that you sell to me if we ever meet up. I know that just giving items away is bad business, so what's going to happen is I pay 50% of the item you're selling, and the other 50% gets deducted from the loan."

O'aka looked confused at this, so Max explained further, "Say you price an item at 100 gils. I'll pay 50, and the other 50 gets deducted off 400.000 gils, making my loan to you go down to 399950. The only exception where I want it just off my tab completely is if I want a personal item that I want you to get. So an example is if I want something that goes for 20,000 gils, then the loan gets reduced by 20,000 instead of me paying you."

O'aka looked a bit overwhelmed, but his merchant cunning recognized a good deal and agreed. "Deal, laddy. Looking forward to doing business with ya."

* * *

Back at the docks, Tidus was grilling Auron for all the answers.

"Hey you! Don't stand there!" Tidus yelled, gripping on Auron's collar. "All of this is your fault! Gettin' swallowed by Sin! Ending up here in Spira! Not being able to go back to Zanarkand–everything, everything! I'm telling you, it's all your fault!"

Auron just stood there, taking it all while chuckling before it became a full-blown laughter. After Tidus had calmed down, he decided to ask his questions.

"Who are you, anyway?" Auron remained silent on this.

"You knew my old man, didn't you?" Tidus asked, figuring Auron wouldn't answer that. "Yeah" was the reply. "And you also knew Yuna's father?" Tidus continued his line of question. "That's correct," Auron answered.

Tidus was stunned. How could Auron be at both Zanarkand and Spira? "Hey, man, there's no way. That's just impossible," he said nervously.

"Nothing impossible about it," said Auron. "Jecht, Braska, and I… Together we defeated Sin ten years ago. Then I went to Zanarkand… where I watched over you. So that one day I could bring you to Spira,"

"Why did it have to be us?" Tidus asked after a few moments of silence "Jecht asked me to," replied Auron, "Although Max was an accident, but we decided to take him with us anyways."

"Is he alive?" Tidus asked with a hopeful voice. He may hate his old man, but he was still family.

"It depends on what you mean by 'alive.' He is no longer human. But then… I felt something of Jecht, there in that shell… couldn't you? You must have felt him when you came in contact with Sin." Auron answered.

Tidus was stupefied at this bombshell. He couldn't believe it, he wouldn't. "It is the truth. You'll see for yourself. Come with me," said Auron "If I say no?" Tidus snorted. "Every story must have an ending," Auron answered with a sagely voice.

"I don't care about your stories!" Tidus shouted. Auron continued unsympathetically, "I see. Sorry, you feel that way. Fine, then. Come or don't come. It's your decision. Tell Max I give him the same offer."

"Rrrrraaaaaaghhh!" Tidus shouted, frustrated and knowing he had no choice. "What am I supposed to say!? You tell me it's my decision…But I don't have a choice, do I? You're the only one who can tell me what's going on, anyways! I have to go with you! I have to!" Tidus was breathing heavily after this rant.

"Irritating, I know. Or are you afraid?" Auron said calmly. Tidus dropped his head in sadness. In a rare act of kindness, Auron puts his hand on Tidus's shoulder, as if telling him it's okay, "Will I ever go home? Back to Zanarkand? Will Max also be able to get back?" asked Tidus. "That's up to Jecht," said the legendary guardian. "I'm going to offer my services to Yuna. Come."

Tidus followed Auron, knowing that Auron still held the answers to this world. He hoped Max would meet up with him soon at the main square of Luca.

* * *

Back at the main square, Yuna was talking with Lulu and Wakka about Tidus and Max, although mainly Tidus was her concern.

"Do you think they're gonna stay here?" Yuna questioned.

"Sir Auron knows them, apparently. You were right. They did meet someone they knew." Lulu replied.

"Do you think they'll find a way back to Zanarkand?" Yuna asked.

"In any case, I'll miss having them around," Wakka answered.

"He's still in town, isn't he?" Yuna asked. They didn't notice but Yuna had switched to one person only. "I think I'll go see him…" She turned around to see Auron walking toward them, with Tidus trailing slowly behind. "Sir Auron?" Yuna, Lulu, and Wakka all did the Yevon prayer to show respect to a legendary guardian.

"Yuna," Auron said suddenly.

"Sir?" Yuna replied, startled at this.

"I wish to become your guardian. Do you accept?" He asked, ignoring her nervousness that she showed.

"You're serious?" Wakka asked, not believing that this could happen.

"You refuse?" Auron asked curtly.

" No, no! We accept! Right, everyone?" Yuna answered. Everyone nodded their head at this.

"But…why?" Lulu asked. 'Wouldn't he want to retire after battling Sin once already?' Lulu thought to herself.

"I promised Braska," Auron replied.

"You promised my father?" Yuna gasped. "Thank you, Sir Auron! You're welcome to join us!" She bowed down in thankfulness.

"And…he comes too," Auron said quickly, grabbing Tidus forward.

"Hi…guys. Eh…Howdy!" Tidus said awkwardly. He looked around, trying to find someone. He saw the Aurochs, and even Luzzu and Gatto, but they weren't the ones he was looking for.

"Where's Max?" Tidus asked. Everyone shrugged, including the Aurochs. They hadn't seen him since the stadium incident

"This one I promised Jecht," Auron continued, ignoring Tidus's question.

"Is Sir Jecht alive?" Yuna asked. She hoped to meet Tidus's father, as he had been kind to her.

"Can't say. Haven't seen him in ten years," Auron evaded answering the question, and based on his look, he didn't want it to continue. Everyone accepted his answer for now.

* * *

"Hey! Come with me!" Yuna told Tidus, dragging him off to the side a little. "Hey, watch!" Yuna put her fingers to her mouth and whistled loudly, causing a few people to turn around, but they ignored it after she was done.

"Hey, you got pretty good," Tidus said, although his heart wasn't in it. Yuna caught on to it fast.

"You sound sad," she said. Tidus merely grunted in acknowledgment.

"Wanna scream?" She asked. Yuna didn't know it, but seeing Tidus sad was something she especially didn't like. She was confused but brushed it off for now.

"Nnnn…I really don't think that's going to help this time," Tidus answered after giving it some thought.

"You know what?" She asked. Tidus was confused at this sudden turn in this conversation but continued to acknowledge her. "It's embarrassing to say this myself… But summoners and their guardians are kind of like Spira's ray of light. A lot of people in Spira depend on us. I learned to practice smiling when I'm feeling sad, you know? I know it's hard."

"Yeah… I understand. I think." Tidus said. He was slowly letting his misery go thanks to her. "Right, now let's see what you can do!" She commanded. Tidus looked at her confused. "Come on!" "Uh… ah…" he tried to smile, but he was still feeling a bit down. Until Max came onto the scene, dragging the Luca Goers, who were all wearing cloaks for some reason.

* * *

"Whats up guys?" Max asked Tidus and Yuna. "I brought entertainment for us all."

Everyone was slightly confused at Max's statement until he waved his hand.

All the Goers were scowling at Max and Bickson. It was about 70% to Max for this bet and 30% on Bickson for accepting it. They took off their cloaks, letting everyone see what they were wearing. They all had to bite their lips on this, as the Luca Goers were wearing tight skinned pink ballerina dresses that did not suit the males. The female players of the Goers actually drew in quite bloody noses from the crowd, as the dress accentuated their figure quite a bit from all those exercises they did. The females had mixed feelings, as they were embarrassed at showing their figures at the crowd, but also felt happy at the attention. The males were not happy at all.

Bickson tried to put his cloak back on, but Max stopped him. "Nu uh uh, remember our deal? It was also a song and dance praising the winners," he said mockingly.

Bickson head looked like he was about to blow a gasket, but began to sing off key with his teammates. All the praising and dancing around the Aurochs had everyone stupefied until Max finally took pity on them and let them go. The Goers grabbed their cloaks and faster than they ever ran before to their lockers, hoping to get rid of the dress and burn it while laying low.

After they had left, a chuckle could be heard. Soon, laughter was followed by it, and everyone was laughing their butts off. Some even fell to the ground after seeing this. Even Lulu and Auron were chuckling at this, while stoic Kimahri was fighting to keep his mouth from moving.

"Thanks for inviting us to see this Max," said Luzzu as he wiped a tear from his eyes. Gatto didn't seem like he would be stopping soon, so he picking him up and left.

"Too funny!" gasped out Yuna while she tried to regain her breath. Tidus was also trying his best, but it wasn't really working. After the laughter had died down, they turned to Max.

"Thank you," she said to Max. He looked confused but took the gratitude.

"I want my journey to be full of laughter," she continued. Tidus nodded and also thanked Max for getting him out of his misery, even if it was unintentional. Max just shrugged and went to talk to Auron.

"If we get separated, just whistle. I'll come running. I promise," Yuna told Tidus.

"And I'll do the same for you," promised Tidus.

They looked at each other in the eye for a few moments before turning back to where Yuna's guardians were.

"So, you're going to be a guardian Tidus?" asked Max. Tidus nodded.

"Looks like I'm coming with ya," stated Max suddenly. "If you don't want me to be your guardian, Yuna, I understand, but I'm sticking around Tidus."

"Oh, No. We also accept you too Max. Right everyone?" Yuna asked, and everyone nodded.

"Well then, alright. Now, we go to the temple at Djose. And guardians? Don't forget to smile!" Yuna reminded everyone, showing her smile. It was infectious and had Tidus, Wakka, Max, and Lulu smiling a bit. Auron's high collar made it hard to see if he joined in, while Kimahri just remained stoic as ever.

* * *

 **Omake: What happened to some of the dresses**

Unknown to the other Luca Goers, the females actually kept the dresses. They were busy posing with it, admiring how it showed off their curves. Some re adjustements and some dyes to recolor it, and it would look good for seducing someone. The female was busy stashing it away when they saw Raudy also posing with it. He seemed to like it a lot, causing the females to snicker before walking away.


	21. Chapter 20 To Mi'ihen Road and Chocobos

**All right hope you enjoy this chapter! As you might have noticed, my chapters are getting a little longer. I'm getting the hang of writing, so expect some longer chapters than before.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own FFX, just my OC. Reviews are appreciated.**

* * *

As they all walked up the stairs leading out of the city, Max tossed a buckler to Tidus.

"Here, I managed to make this for you. It'll be useful for defending a little." Max said.

As Tidus admired how light and most likely very durable the buckler was, the whole party noticed that Max had gone through a few changes in his gear. His bow now seemed to be made of some sort of metal, and he had blue ski goggles on his forehead. His utility belt seemed to be a bit bulkier than usual, and an additional pouch had been attached to it.

"Where'd you get this stuff?" Wakka asked as he admired the bow.

"Made it myself," bragged Max. Everyone except Auron and Tidus raised an eyebrow at this.

"Impossible," scoffed Lulu, "Where would you get the materials and how would you have crafted it?"

"Made a deal with O'aka," said Max, "He knows a few places to get them, and I paid him for it."

Mollified at this answer, the whole group continued forward until they saw a fiend. This fiend seemed to be very thick-skinned and well padded, as it seemed to be built like a rock.

"Hah! This one looks slow," said Tidus as he drew his sword out.

"Careful, Tidus," warned Max, "It also seems to have a lot of armor. You might need a lot of power to slash through that."

Tidus nodded before dashing and slashing at it. On contact, the sword reverberated through his arms at the impact, causing him to nearly drop it. The monster ran towards Tidus to bash him, but Tidus was agile enough to dodge. It ran into a boulder and crushed it to pieces before turning around. Auron stepped up this time and slashed it right through, causing it to burst into pyreflies.

"Sir Auron's the best!" yelled Wakka, obviously letting some of his fanboyness through.

Tidus merely snorted in response before they all continued forward again. They fought a few more fiends, letting Kimahri use Lancet on a few to learn more moves. An old scholar named Maechen was exploring some of the ruins before noticing the party approaching. He explained his purpose and enlightened Max on some of Spira's history before moving on.

* * *

Soon, three people riding on chocobos came nearby and stopped in front of Yuna. At a closer look, the female leader wore purple armor, while the other lady wore orange armor. The last one of the group was a slightly chubby man wearing green clothes and a metal breastplate. They introduced themselves as Lucil, Elma, and Clasko before warning them about a large fiend wandering about with a taste for chocobos.  
"A large fiend…Let's go get him!" exclaimed Tidus. Everyone except Max stared  
"Why?" asked Auron. Tidus was startled a little at all the staring before stating, "It's the right thing to do."  
"It's the right thing to do?" Auron said in a monotone voice before he started chuckling _._  
"What'd I say now?" Tidus asked angrily.  
"Jecht said that a lot, tool," explained Auron. "And every time he said it, it meant trouble for Braska and me." Max chuckled at this, too. Apparently, Tidus picked up some of Jecht's habits even if they weren't close.

While walking, a woman and her child were at the side of the road when the mother noticed the party. "My Lady Summoner!" she exclaimed. The child turned around from the flower she was admiring and ran up to Yuna. "You're a summoner?" asked the child who was in awe Yuna bent down to talk to her face to face, "Yes. My name is Yuna."

"I'm Calli," said the child "Lady Yuna, are you going to bring us the Calm?" "Yes, very soon," said Yuna. Calli started cheering while running around Yuna. "We're looking forward to another Calm, My Lady Summoner." said the mother. "And good luck to your guardians as well." At this, the males started preening themselves at this statement. After the two left, Tidus and Max had questions at the mother's sentence.  
"What's the calm?" asked Tidus. Surprisingly Lulu took the job to explain it as if she had been appointed as the guide for them. "The Calm is a time of peace. It comes after a summoner defeats Sin, and lasts until Sin reappears." "Wait, reappear?" asked Max

"Sin dies and is reborn," explained Yuna. "I get it! I thought it was weird.," said Tidus. "Yuna's dad defeated Sin ten years ago, right? But Sin's still here! Didn't make much sense till now." After saying that out loud, both Max and Tidus had exclamation marks appear above their head as if noticing something. "Wait… If it just comes back…" said Tidus. Yuna interrupted him quickly, "Don't say it isn't worth it…Because it is."

Both Max and Tidus thought about it. It was true that being able to sleep peacefully without the threat of Sin looming over their heads, but had nobody ever tried to prevent it from ever coming back? Looking around, it seemed everyone was content with letting this cycle continue/

"Then when will Sin ever stop reappearing?" asked Max.

"By following the teachings of Yevon!" said Wakka fiercely, as if daring Max to say otherwise.

"and that would be..." continued Max, not getting a complete answer from Wakka.

"By repenting for all our sins, Sin can be exorcised by complete atonement," stated Lulu. Tidus and Max picked out a voice of desperation in that tone but decided to ignore it for now.

* * *

Everyone continued forward on the path, fighting some more fiends on the way. They met up with Luzzu and Gatta, who seemed to be transporting a large cargo ahead. They congratulated Wakka on the win and made some small talk before Lucil came forward and scolded them for not doing their job. Luzzu managed to show Gatta how to please a commander when getting in trouble, something that caused everyone to the party to chuckle.

As they left, Luzzu left a message for Yuna, something that slightly chilled Max. "Hey, Yuna. Even though Yevon rejected us… we still believe in you. That won't ever change."

Then they saw a female acolyte arguing with a male Crusader. As they drew nearer, the Crusader looked like he was about to lose his temper and dismissed the acolyte, walking away from her as fast as possible.

"Are you all right?" Asked Yuna. The acolyte seemed surprised that someone was talking to her before she responded "Lady Summoner…?" "Yes, I am Yuna," she told the acolyte. The acolyte bowed in respect before responding "It is an honor, my lady. My name is Shelinda. I am a disciple of Yevon."

"What was all that about? The Crusaders' operation?" Wakka asked.

"You mean the one Gatta and Luzzu were talking about?" Tidus added.

"I heard they were to use forbidden machina! I had to stop them," told Shelinda. "Huh? Why?" asked Tidus. "The use of machina is strictly forbidden by the Yevon priesthood," explained Lulu.

'I was right,' thought Max, 'apparently some machina are forbidden. It's a good thing I didn't bring out my arm computer or have my guns with me.'

"Let them use whatever they want. They still won't defeat Sin," declared Auron.

"But, it's not about defeating Sin!" asserted Shelinda, "The teachings of Yevon must be upheld!" Wakka was cheering for her for following the rules. "But you don't understand! The Crusaders won't even listen to me. And it's all because I'm just a lowly acolyte," moaned Shelinda, sad she wasn't able to convince the Crusaders.

"Don't say that," said Yuna as she tried to cheer Shelinda up. "Well, I haven't been a summoner for very long myself, you see. Still, I can't put myself down every time I fail. People are depending on me. They're depending on both of us!" This seemed to cheer her up a lot. "Yes! Yes, you're right, my lady. Absolutely right! Thank you so much, Lady Yuna! Now I feel I have the courage to finish my training."

Ending on a high note, she rushed after the Crusader, apparently not giving up on convincing them.

* * *

"Soo, is there a book on Yevon's teachings?" asked Max. He wanted to know more about this religion in detail. Wakka looked like he was about to have a heart attack, imagining that Tidus and Max still didn't "remember" anything. Lulu just gave a disgusted voice, but Yuna smiled.

"I'll be happy to help you two," she said. While walking, Tidus and Max stayed near Yuna while she tried her best to answer their questions. Max had some more controversial questions but decided keep them hidden as he didn't want Wakka, who seemed to be a very devout follower, on his tail.

It was 5 hours afternoon that they reached an inn. The inn seemed to be very colorful and had a great view of the sea. A great place to relax for travelers, except it seemed to be owned by an Al Bhed based off the design. However, this didn't deter Auron for he gave the command to rest. Wakka wanted to refuse, stating that he wasn't tired, but gave up when Auron said he was. He wasn't willing to go against the command of a legendary guardian, so everyone went inside to get rooms. Three rooms were rented out, with the pairings of Yuna and Lulu, Kimahri and Wakka, and Auron, Tidus, and Max. Auron most likely requested Tidus and Max, knowing that it would be safer if Max didn't show his gear yet. As Tidus and Max went into their rooms, they made sure nobody was listening in before Tidus turned to Max.

"Alright, what's in my buckler?" demanded Tidus. "Knowing you, just a shield is way too boring for you."

Max chuckled, "Alright I installed a hand cannon inside it. Flick your wrist up first and hold it for 2 seconds before flicking it down."

Tidus quickly complied and saw that his shield slightly parted, showing a muzzle.

"I put in my explosive ammo in there, so use it in very dire situations. Can't let them find out we're carrying 'forbidden' machina, and also I'm very limited on that ammo series too," explained Max.

Max took the time to explain more of what he had on him right now, causing Tidus to chuckle. Here was Max, being a guardian for Yuna while carrying everything Yevon had or will forbid him from carrying.

Seeing as how Tidus didn't feel sleepy, he stepped outside to view the sunset. Max followed shortly and saw that Tidus had already approached Yuna and started talking with her. He didn't feel like interrupting such a good atmosphere between them, he went back inside the inn after taking in the sunset. There, he found a few Yevon scriptures and books to read. After reading through them, he was confused at such a religion. Apparently, exorcising Sin meant everyone living had to repent. This should be impossible, as even one dark thought would be considered a sin according to their teachings. Reading more about it was giving Max a headache, so he decided to head to sleep instead. As he went to his room, he saw Tidus was already walking over with a subdued aura. They went into the room before discussing Spira and Yevon. That night, they exchanged information about all they knew of Yevon and the final aeon. When it came to the subject of Sin, Tidus was reluctant to reveal that Sin was actually his father. This surprised Max, but he decided to reserve judgment about that later. Both agreed something was up but decided to sleep on it. They never heard Auron step in even after they fell asleep.

* * *

Max woke up first and looked around to see that Auron had either never come in or was already up. Thinking it was the latter, he stretched before chucking a book into Tidus's face to make him wake up too. After a few weak arguments and a nursing headache, they got up and were about to step out of the inn when they almost ran into someone.

" _ **Byntuh sa,**_ _"_ said the tall, tan man with yellow hair flowing down to his shoulder blade. His apparel was a yellow jacket and pants, leaving his chest and stomach bare.

"Sorry," Max said automatically until his mind caught up with what the man said, "say what?"

"Ah, forgive me, sir. I meant to say 'pardon me,' but it came out in Al Bhed," replied the man.  
"Oh, you're an Al Bhed?" asked Tidus.  
The man nodded, "Mm-hm. I am Rin, owner of this establishment. _ **Hela du saad oui.**_ _"_ Seeing the confusion on their faces, Rin added: "It means, 'nice to meet you'." "Ah!" said Tidus, bopping his fist into his hand, "Well

"Ah!" said Tidus, bopping his fist into his hand, "Well _helly doo sad wee_ to you, too." Tidus tried to copy the pronunciation but botched it horribly.  
"If you are interested…" said Rin thoughtfully. "Here is a book on learning our language. You can keep it as a commemoration of our meeting. It might interest you to be able to learn it, although you might want to be careful where you speak our language."  
"Yeah, I hear Al Bhed aren't liked much," chuckled Tidus before realizing his folly, "Oh, sorry!"  
"It is a shame," Rin said morosely. Max took the book for now. He planned to have his computer analyze this language and have an interpreter handy just in case. However, before he could open the book, a scream could be heard. Tidus and Max rushed to where the scream was and saw Auron and Kimahri already there. Yuna, Lulu, and Wakka followed shortly after them. There they saw a big fiend grabbing a chocobo. It's head was huge, and it seemed like instead of a body, two stubby legs came out from the head. It's arms were twice the length of its head and had claws with scales on it. The fiend's skin looked like it was made of tough skin and muscles. Turning to the guardians, they noticed that the fiend had two horns, a huge mouth with two tongues and many sharp teeth. Drawing their weapons, they charged at the fiend.

* * *

It was not an easy battle. The fiend was tougher than it looked and kept shielding himself with his claws, nullifying the damage. Luckily, Lulu cast _Fire_ on it, causing it to stumble. Seeing that its weakness was fire, Max unloaded some arrows onto the fiend, making the burst into flames on contact. Wakka used Dark Attack, causing temporary blindness on the fiend. With this combination, the fiend was unable to get any easy hits on them. As the battle went on, something astonishing happened to Tidus. The fiend, named Chocobo Eater, managed to stumble upon Yuna by complete luck. The fiend swiped his hands out, causing everyone else to fall back to prevent from being hit by those claws. Yuna scooted back only to find a cliff behind her and no way to escape. The fiend grinned as if knowing that his prey had no escape and threw a right straight towards her.

"NOOO!" yelled Tidus as he started running towards Yuna. Time seemed to slow down for him as he was running towards Yuna. The other guardians were already running, but they would never make it in time. Tidus saw Yuna close her eyes as if accepting the fact she would die.

'I can't let this happen, I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN!' Tidus mentally screamed at himself to go faster. Suddenly, he saw his body start to glow a little as he was running, but didn't care. An orange glow surrounded his body, and soon he found himself running even faster than he imagined. Using this burst of speed, he ran towards Yuna and grabbed her out of the way of the fist.

 _A few seconds earlier_

'Crap,' thought Max when he saw the fist going towards Yuna. He was already reaching into his utility belt and was about to pull out an item that he had crafted. He didn't care if it was forbidden, if it was to save Yuna, might as well be exposed than let her die. However, he then saw Tidus become a blur, running much faster than he thought was possible. 'Whew,' Max thought as he saw that Tidus managed to grab Yuna out of the way. 'My secrets safe for now.'

Tidus had no idea what was happening, but his thought was only on getting Yuna into a safe zone. The fiend seemed surprised that he missed, and launched another fist at Tidus. Tidus dodged it before running off with Yuna. He jumped with her still in his arms in a bridal carry and landed behind Auron and Kimahri, who looked mad that Yuna almost died under their watch. Kimahri used Fire Breath that he learned earlier, stunning the fiend. Auron charged in and started hacking the fiend into pieces, with Lulu, Wakka, and Max backing him up.

Yuna still had her eyes closed when this happened. 'That's weird, I don't feel any pain or impact. Rather I feel warm like I'm being carried. It's soo comfortable,' thought Yuna. She wanted to snuggle her head into the warmth before realizing she was still in the middle of a battle. She opened her eyes and noticed that she was still being carried by Tidus. Both of them locked eyes with each other for a few seconds, not saying anything until Max yelled out, "A little help here!"

Both blushing, Tidus set Yuna down, allowing her to walk forward a little.

* * *

"Everyone, I'm going to summon Ifrit!" Yuna shouted.

She brought her hands out to her sides with the staff on her right. The four lights in green bulbs and the usual summoning glyph appeared as usual, with the lights ascending upwards. However, instead of ascending into the skies like it did for Valefor, she brought her hands together in front, grabbing the staff with both hands at its center. She started to spin it clockwise twice before stopping. While she spun, fire suddenly appeared at the ends of the staff, following it and gathering at the middle before dropping into the ground. She kneeled down, and the fire suddenly split off in four directions in an x shape. The ground transformed, and a glyph could be seen on it before the ground suddenly shook. Bursting upwards, a flaming rock tower suddenly formed, with Yuna on top of it. At the center was a burning sphere, where Ifrit was contained. As if breaking out of its seal, Ifrit roared out loudly before the whole tower broke. Ifrit jumped up first , catching Yuna on its shoulder before landing onto the ground with a thump. After letting Yuna off, Ifrit turned to the Chocobo Eater before roaring a challenge at it.

Admiring it for the first time, Max and Tidus took a close look at Ifrit. Besides having the obvious two huge horns, it looked extremely muscular. It had orange fur on and hair on its brown skin and had a face like a jackal. The fire seemed to flare off its skin at random intervals. Looking at its hands and feet, both of them shuddered. It had huge sharp claws on its hand, good for ripping things apart.

This fierce aeon soon ran up to the fiend, fighting it hand to hand. Blow after blows was traded, with the fiend losing after already taking some damage in conjecture that Ifrit was a fire aeon and ultimately its weakness. The fiend was left lying on the ground, unable to move when Ifrit decided to end it. It opened its mouth and a big ball of fire came out. Ifrit punched the ball right into the fiend, and with its speed, the Chocobo Eater had no way of dodging it. Taking it right in its face, the fiend burst into pyreflies, signifying it was dead.

A voice rang out after they had defeated the fiend, "Have you an interest in renting some chocobos?" They turned around and saw that Rin was walking up to them with an attendant. "As a token of our gratitude, the first time is free of charge. Please ask the attendant, if you wish to rent."  
"Thank you so much for saving the chocobos!" cried out the attendant.

After a short discussion, they decided to rent out the chocobos, as it would allow them to reach their destination faster. Tidus was thankful for this. The orange glow had worn off after the battle, and he felt overwhelming exhaustion suddenly come up. Drinking some water, he got on the chocobo with the others before they rode on.

"So, Tidus, How'd you get that fast?" asked Max. The other guardians looked at Tidus, who shrugged.

"I dunno. One moment I'm trying to run to save Yuna, the next moment, I was glowing orange and became so much faster. Although I was extremely fatigued afterward." said Tidus.

"That was the white magic spell _Haste_ that you cast!" exclaimed Yuna. The other guardians looked impressed that Tidus was also able to cast spells now. "Since you did it without any training, it's no wonder your exhausted. You just need to be able to control the flow of magic and soon, you'll be able to cast it on anyone without exhausting yourself too much," explained Yuna. "Thank you for saving me."

Tidus blushed, remembering what he had thought of when trying to save Yuna. Luckily, nobody seemed to have noticed and they continued on the road in style.

* * *

 **Tidus learned Haste! It was around this fight when I played ffx that Tidus learned haste. However, since I didn't introduce the sphere grid, I decided to have him learn in dire situations. Also, instead of Primers, i just had Rin give them a book. Kinda weird to learn a new language by only have one letter translate. Plus, it helps with my story.**

 **I will be describing aeon summoning and maybe thier overdrives once. It was fun trying to describe it. I'd like to know if you guys want me to continue this trend or not. Put it in reviews or pm me. Hope you enjoyed the inventions I had Max put in!**


	22. Chapter 21 Operation Mi'ihen GO!

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFX**

 **Here's an interesting twist to my story. Hope you enjoy it. Read and Review!**

* * *

They continued down the the Mi'ihen road until they saw the gate that leads to Mushroom Rock. There seemed to be a lot of activity going on. Luzzu and Gatta were reporting to a gate captain about a package while Donna and Barthello seemed to be arguing with a Crusader. As they drew nearer, Luzzu and Gatta continued on while Donna and Barthello were turned away.

Donna saw them before scoffing out loud, "Oh, it's you. As you can see, not even summoners can pass. But they'll call on us in the end. Just wait and see. In the meantime, I think I'll have a nap. Oh, Barthello?"

As they ran off, the same guard also came up to them and told them that Mushroom Rock was off-limits due to an operation involving the location. They tried to politely get in but were gently refused. Seeing as they had no choice, they decided to see the Old Mi'ihen road that Maechen had mentioned to them earlier on the road. As they were about to walk off, Seymour walked up with his two bodyguards. Tidus and Max glanced at his arrival. Well, Max glanced, Tidus more of stared at him with distrust. Seymour stopped in front of them before greeting Yuna with the Yevon prayer. She returned it while kneeling down. 'Huh, must be a culture thing,' thought Max, who didn't understand why she needed to bow.

"So we meet again, Lady Yuna," Seymour greeted Yuna.  
"Y-yes?" she replied hesitantly. She had no real memory of actually meeting him.  
"You look troubled. Is there anything I can do?" he continued with a charming voice. Max gave a slight vomiting action, which was caught by Tidus who laughed a little.  
"Well…" Yuna answered before turning around to look at the gate _._  
Seymour saw her gaze and smiled "I see." He walked towards the gate, where the guard saluted him and was about to guide him to where he needed to go when Seymour raised his hand.  
"Hold. I have a request," Seymour said in his charming voice. "I need to have Summoner Yuna and her guardians let through to the command center."

The gate captain stuttered and looked troubled until Seymour continued, "Do not worry. I will take full responsibility." The gate captain nodded, "Very well. They may pass." Seymour turned around to Yuna, "It is done." "Thank you, Your Grace," said Yuna as she bowed several times until Seymour was already gone. Lulu had to reboot her back into action. While they were about to pass the gate, Tidus raised and clenched his fist.  
"Who does he think he is?" Tidus growled.  
"He's a maester. Better get used to it, ya?" said Wakka.  
"I don't trust him," said Max curtly. "He rubs me the wrong way."

Tidus glanced at Max briefly. Usually, Max had an easy time with most people and never really judged people on first impressions. For Max to already cast judgment on him so quick, something really was wrong with Seymour then.

* * *

As they continued down the road through Mushroom Rock Road, they saw Seymour giving a speech, encouraging the Crusaders on their endeavor. Naturally, Wakka the ever so religious nut was furious.

"What's goin' on?" asked Wakka, "Why's Maester Seymour backing the Crusaders, eh? They're using the Al Bhed's machina! They're violating the teachings!"  
"Even going against the teachings they're willing to risk it for the greater good. Wakka, I think Maester Seymour sees that, too," explained Yuna  
Wakka could only stutter at this before turning to ask Lulu.  
"Hmm… I can only speculate," she answered.  
Wakka seemed to be giving up hope and put his palms on his face when Seymour walked towards them. "Ah, Sir Auron," Seymour started off, "It is an honor. I would be most interested in hearing what you've been doing these past ten years.".

"I've got nothing to say about it," replied Auron curtly before walking off.  
"I…see," Seymour raised an eyebrow at this attitude, but turned over to Yuna, "Sir Auron must be a great asset as a guardian."  
"Your Grace!" said Yuna as she bowed.  
"Please, there's no need for formalities," said Seymour.  
"Excuse me… Maester Seymour? Why is your Lordship…presently…present here…sir?" Wakka asked. Lulu and Max could only shake their heads at this. Max decided to act as a translator for him.  
"What Wakka is trying to say is that shouldn't you be stopping them from going against the teachings of Yevon?" said Max.  
Seymour nodded, "It's true… I should." Wakka was jumping at this until Seymour continued his sentence, "However… Both the Crusaders and the Al Bhed truly wish peace for Spira. This Operation Mi'ihen was born from that wish they share. Although it may be sacrilege to Yevon, their intentions are pure. And I, Seymour Guado– the person, not the maester of Yevon… As a denizen of Spira, I wish them well in their endeavor."  
Wakka gaped at this, "But, using machina…That's bad, isn't it?"  
"Pretend you didn't see them." replied Seymour.

Lulu, Yuna, and Wakka gasped at this, while the rest just rolled their eyes or just didn't care.  
"Beg your pardon, but that's not something a maester should say!" Wakka was truly grasping at straws now.  
"Then, pretend I didn't say it," Seymour replied. Wakka was left stunned as Seymour walked away.

"Well, that happened," said Tidus as they continued down the road after that conversation. Wakka still seemed to be in shock, and couldn't even reply.

* * *

As they continued down the road, hoping to reach Djose temple, when another detour came upon them.

Clasko stopped them, "Excuse me, Lady Summoner Yuna?" Yuna nodded at this.  
"The command center… Maester Seymour requests your presence there, ma'am," explained Clasko as he pointed in a direction. Seeing how the way was blocked, they had no choice but to follow his orders. While walking, Max found O'aka and bought a few more items off him and some more arrows. After taking a roundabout path, they saw Gatta arguing with Luzzu.

Why only you, sir? I want to fight, too!" complained Gatta.  
"Order are orders," said Luzzu. "To your post, Crusader."

Gatta kept trying to convince Luzzu, but his gaze booked no argument. Frustrated, he ran off to his post. Luzzu turned around and saw Yuna's entourage, "They let you through, huh?" Tidus frowned at Gatta's back as he ran off, "Gatta deserves better…" "At least there's no chance he'll get hurt," replied Wakka "Why are you guys fighting, anyway? Aren't the almighty Al Bhed machina enough?" Loads of sarcasm went into that. "They still need some time to get them ready. Our job is to keep Sin at bay till they're done," explained Luzzu. He carefully watched Wakka mutter and decided to make a choice.

"Wakka… I might not get another chance to say this. It's about your brother."  
"Luzzu, no!" exclaimed Lulu. Luzzu ignored her and continued on.  
"I'm the one who convinced him…to enlist."  
Wakka looked at Lulu, then at Luzzu, being silent for a what seemed to be a long time. Then he punched Luzzu with a wicked right hook, causing Luzzu to fall down. He would've continued if Max and Tidus hadn't stopped him.

"Wakka! That's enough, Wakka!" grunted Tidus as he tried to restrain him with Max.  
After Wakka had finally stopped trying to beat Luzzu, he told them., "When we used to play blitz together, Chappu used to say…He'd say that–when we won the Cup, ya?–he'd propose to Lulu. And then one day…he goes off and becomes a Crusader. Just like that."

'So, there is a relation between those three,' mused Max.  
"Chappu also said to me… That being with your girl is good…But keeping Sin far away from her is better," said Luzzu.  
Wakka looked at Lulu, asking if she knew. She could only sigh before saying the truth.  
"Luzzu told me…before we left."  
Luzzu chuckled at this memory, "She hit me too."

Before they could discuss it anymore, Lucil came riding by with the announcement that everyone part of the vanguard was to assemble on the beach. "That's my cue." said Luzzu and started to walk away. "Luzzu! Don't die out there," Wakka shouted. "So you can hit me more?" Luzzu questioned. Wakka raised his arm. "Lots! Lots more!" Luzzu merely chuckled before finding Yuna blocking his path.

"Sir Luzzu, please! Please, don't go!" she pleaded.  
"I have to, Yuna." said Luzzu in a calm voice.  
"Let him go," declared Auron. "The man has already chosen his path…As you did when you became a summoner."

Hearing this, Yuna could only step aside to let him continue forward on his path.

As everyone got onto the lift, Max made a quick detour towards Luzzu. Apologizing and saying he would catch up, he quickly caught up to Luzzu. Luzzu frowned and was about to tell Max he made his choice when Max stopped him with a hand gesture.

"Luzzu, take this," whispered Max as he discretely handed him a small cube-shaped item with a big red button.

Luzzu looked confused at the item, but took it.

"If there is a time you in trouble, and are about to die with you fellow crusaders with no way out, press the button and throw this in front of you as hard and far as you can. It may save your life and others," explained Max.

Before Luzzu could comprehend what the item could do and grill Max on some answers of what the box was, Max had already dashed away to catch up to Tidus and them. Shrugging his shoulder, Luzzu decided, against his feelings, to keep the item in his pocket.

* * *

They rode a lift up and saw hundreds of cannons, all pointed towards the sea. Wakka walked towards one of them and stared at it before kicking it as hard as he could.

"Curse these…!" he muttered. A resounding sound of metal could be heard. "OW!"

'Smart' groaned Tidus and Max. As Wakka rubbed his legs, Tidus decided to ask.  
"He really hates them, huh?"  
"Chappu…He left the sword Wakka gave him in Besaid," Lulu explained. "And he fought with an Al Bhed machina weapon instead."  
"That's got nothing to do with it! I just hate these sacrilegious contraptions!" yelled out Wakka.

'Righttt,' thought everyone.

"Well, least it does explain why he doesn't like machina,' thought Max.

"Grrr… It won't work anyway," growled Wakka. Max was about to give him a punch for that sentence. It sounded like he wanted thousands to die for no reason. However, Yuna intercepted it first.  
"Don't say that. It might be a hopeless campaign, and it might mean defying Yevon…But the Crusaders and the Al Bhed– they're doing their best to defeat Sin. They want to rid Spira of Sin forever. And that's just what we want, too, isn't it?" Yuna stared at Wakka, in hope that maybe he would stop being so stubborn.  
"Hmph!" Wakka grunted. "All right, all right! But I still think machina are bad news. They're forbidden for a reason!"

'Probably for other reasons, though,' thought Max.

They met with Lucil, who guided them to the command center, mentioning another Maestor by the name of Kinoc was there. As they finally arrived at the command center, they met with Gatta who had a bored and depressed expression on right now.

"The operation will begin shortly. Please check all your equipment," said Gatta in a bored tone. "Um, you all right?" asked Wakka "Of course not!" Gatta yelled as he clenched his fists. "I came here to fight Sin! But they stick me here!" Auron decided to speak up, "If you want to prove yourself, first you must complete the tasks you are given."

Gatta sagged down at this sagely advice. It was good advice, but whether Gatta's head would able to understand it would be another question.

As everyone entered the command center, Max saw O'aka selling items to the Crusaders. Quickly heading over there, Max decided it was time to call in an order.

"Hey O'aka!" Max greeted. O'aka turned around to meet his investor.

"Monopoly's a great thing! Things are sellin' no matter what the price!" O'aka had gil signs for his eyes before shaking it off. "What do ya need, lad?"

"Making a personal order this time. Walk around and see if you can get me some gunpowder for me." O'aka looked confused at the term gunpowder, so Max decided to explain more. "Its black dust that the Crusaders are using for their cannons most likely. Try to see if you can't have them sell you some."

O'aka looked scared at this but nodded. His policy was to never question his investor.

As Max left, he saw Gatta trying to sneak away from the command post. Tidus had already tried to convince him to stay, but Gatta could no longer hold it in. Seeing that Gatta would end up in the front lines no matter what, Max sighed as he pulled out a small triangular item this time and called Gatta over.

"I'm going to fight Sin! You can't stop me!" declared Gatta.

"I know. I'm not going to stop you," said Max softly. Gatta looked confused when Max gave him the item.

"Use this. I gave Luzzu an item for protection, but just in case, this might help. If Luzzu throws a small cube in front, your job is to throw this item into that cube. If it goes right, it'll protect a lot of people from dying to Sin."

Gatta look flabbergasted at this. Max merely patted him on the back and went back to the command post.

* * *

As he entered, he heard bits of conversation and a chubby man in yellow and white robes who seemed to be Maestor Kinoc go and actually hug Auron. Deciding he could get the details later, Max decided to look out from the command post with his binoculars. Scanning around, he saw a tall structure with what seemed to be two large lances at the top of the building.

'Is that the ancient machina weapon they said they were going to use?' thought Max. He drooled at the opportunity to see how it worked and if it could be improved. However, he knew if he did that, then his cover would be exposed, and he didn't want to explain why he knew so much. So he did the next best thing, observe it as close as humanly possible.

While Max was observing the building, Tidus was standing next to Yuna. He wasn't happy with the way Kinoc had acted. He knew that this plan wouldn't work, and was still allowing them to go through it? He couldn't understand the reasoning for it, but he decided to think about that later. First, he wanted to make sure Yuna was safe. Yuna was struggling with her feelings of being here. She couldn't relax and feel like she was out of place in this operation, but with Tidus standing next to her, she felt a bit less nervous.

"You alright?" asked Tidus.

"I'm a bit better now with you here," she replied absent-mindlessly. It took both of them five seconds to realize what she had said and started to blush a bit. Tidus decided to stay a little closer to Yuna from now on. Soon, Maestor Kinoc moved up to a podium to start the operation.

"Will Sin come?" questioned Yuna. "Sin always returns for its spawn," said a base captain, "To make sure, we're going to encourage them to call out to it." "You won't have to. It'll come," said Auron.

Tidus shivered. Jecht was Sin, and Sin was Jecht. And soon, he would be coming to kill all those Crusaders.

While everyone was checking their equipment, a large gate being forced opened could be heard. The cage that was holding a large fiend with an electrical field had been broken and was coming directly for them.

"Watch out! Sinspawn Gui is loose!" yelled one of the guards as the fiend landed.

* * *

Looming over them was a large fiend with a long neck. Scales could be seen everywhere, and it seemed to have two mouths, one on the head and one on its stomach. It had two thick arms and moved with lots of legs. All in all, Max thought it was something off a nightmare. As everyone got prepared for battle, the Gui let loose a shriek before charging at them. After letting Kimahri use the ability Scan, Max and Wakka tried to hit the main body. The fiend, as if sensing their intent, blocked it with his arms, neutralizing any damage.

"Crap, we can't damage it if the arms are still here," yelled out Max.

"Take the arms out," said Auron as he hacked at one of them. Kimahri and Tidus went to take on the other one. The fiend, however, was unable to block Lulu's magic when she casted _Fire_ on the main body, making it flinch. Soon, the arms were gone, and everyone was attacking and dodging the main body while Yuna provided healing. Max then noticed that Gui's head was bobbing in an unusual pattern. Before he could warn anyone, it spat out a blob of poison right into Kimahri, poisoning him. Wakka quickly lifted him away to Yuna, where she casted _Esuna_ on him to heal him. Since Yuna was busy healing Kimahri, the others had to be careful. Before long, the arms they thought they took out suddenly regenerated again.

'We can't do this forever. Need to go FASTER!' thought Tidus. He recalled how the orange glow somehow made him faster, but was unable to recast it while they had been traveling. He reached deep inside, trying to find the magic within him.

"Hit the head!" yelled Max. Wakka and Lulu complied, causing the poison that the fiend had been building up to dissipate. Soon though, the Gui casted _Demi_ , causing all of them to stumble. Trying to get back up, the fiend took advantage to advance on Tidus to hit him.

'Its now or never,' thought Tidus as he reached within himself. He soon found his source of magic, and quickly casted _Haste_ on himself. The fiend shot out its arm, trying to backhand slap him. Tidus jumped back to dodge it. As his foot landed, he used it to launch himself toward the arm. He slashed it as he passed by before turning around immediately to slash it again. He kept turning at tight angles, slashing anything he saw before feeling the strain on his ankles and jumped back. As soon as he was finished, the arms all vanished. Max took advantage of this by running up close to the fiend's body, grabbing not one arrow, but seven of them. He had them in a bundle while casting _Fire_ on them before putting it on the bow and pulling back as hard as he could before releasing his payload right into the body. Lulu and Wakka dealt with the head until it turned blue, signifying its death. The body was still moving, though.

"Stand back, I'm summoning!" yelled Yuna as she summoned Ifrit onto the field. "Go Ifrit! Hellfire!"

Ifrit jumped up into the skies, channeling its fire magic into its claws before throwing them right into the Sinspawn Gui. A pillar of flames arose from the hit, causing the fiend to float into the air. Ifrit then shot a meteor fireball right into the fiend, causing the pillar to become a huge sphere of fire, where it was trapped. As Ifrit landed, it dug both claws into the ground. Using its massive strength, Ifrit dug out a huge chunk of land before throwing it right into the sphere, causing it to explode. The fiend fell back down to earth and collapsed after taking so much damage.

* * *

They were unable to relax after such an intense battle, for Sin had appeared. Everyone could see a massive shadow underneath the water. As it rose up from the sea, its many eyes were looking all around.

"FIRE!" yelled a commander of the Crusaders, prompting everyone manning a cannon to fire. Shots were fired and reloaded as fast as possible, but it looked like Sin was completely ignoring it, as if not feeling anything. Sinscales dropped off from the main body into the sea, where it started to swim towards the beach, where the Crusaders that were part of the vanguard were waiting.

Cecil drew her sword from her waist and yelled, "Charge!" Everyone charged at the sinspawn, with the Chocobo knights leading the wave.

Tidus, Max, and the rest of them stood at the edge of the cliff from the command center, looking down at the fight. The Crusaders were trained, but there were still losses from the sinspawn. They couldn't keep this up forever. Then Auron looked up and sensed Sin was charging an attack.

"Look out!" he yelled as he ran back to safety, leading everyone except Tidus and Max. Tidus wanted, no needed to see if Sin was actually Jecht. Max stood with him, hoping the items he gave Luzzu and Gatta would be enough for them to live.

* * *

 _Back on the Beach_

Luzzu was getting tired. He had stabbed so many sinspawn, but they just kept coming. Then, one of it suddenly jumped up from behind him. Luzzu couldn't react fast enough to block, but was surprised to see it suddenly die. He was about to thank his savior when he noticed it was Gatta.

"What are you doing here Gatta!" Luzzu bellowed, "Your post is supposed to be guarding the base!"

"I came here to fight Sin, sir. I won't go out without a fight," replied Gatta stubbornly.

Luzzu shook his head and turned back to the fight, "Since you're here, protect my back and I'll protect yours."

Gatta nodded as he charged in with Luzzu. After a few more kills, Luzzu noticed that Sin had suddenly made a force field, protecting it from cannon fire. However, horror was drawn to his face as he noticed Sin charging an attack within the field. He was certain that if Sin released this attack, nobody in the vanguard would survive. He couldn't let Gatta die so easily. Before he could warn the commander to tell them to order a retreat, Sin fired. A wave of devastating magic was drawing nearer, and they couldn't dodge it. Luzzu was about to give up when his hand clutched on the cube that Max had given him. Betting it all on this item, he pressed the button and threw it as far as he could towards the wave. All the other Crusaders had noticed this annihilation wave coming, and was about to accept death until they saw a cube flying in the sky. They had no idea who had thrown this and thought the person was rather desperate until the cube suddenly projected a blue-light barrier right in front of them, covering most of the beach. It halted the attack in its path, buying them time, but it looked like it wasn't enough. The barrier was already showing cracks onto it, as the barrier wasn't strong enough to absorb the attack, merely halt it. Luzzu was amazed that Max had given him such an item, but knew this wasn't enough. He was about to tackle Gatta into the ground and hope his body could save Gatta from being hit when Gatta charged forward and threw his triangular shape item into the sphere. Suddenly, the cracks disappeared, and the barrier pulsed and shined even stronger.

"Retreat!" yelled Lucil, taking advantage of this sudden miracle. She could not afford to lose her men at this point, and they had already bought enough time for the Al Bhed.

* * *

 _Back at the command post_

"That your inventions?" Tidus grinned. He noticed that Luzzu and Gatta were the ones who threw it, since Max told him to look for them.

"Yep," Max said, empathizing the p with a pop. "A hard-light barrier that can absorb attack and be re-used. However, since I guessed Sin's attack could easily go through, I created an add on to it. The triangle item is a shield booster, boosting the shield up by approximately 1000%. However, the trade-off is that the barrier can only be used once before it burns out." Nobody was around them, so Max could talk freely, although he did so quietly.

They glanced back where everyone had run off to safety to see Yuna, Lulu, Wakka, Kinoc, Seymour, and even Kimahri amazed at this development. Auron, however, knew this had to be Max's work.

'Crazy kid managed to create some of his inventions even here in Spira,' Auron mentally chuckled.

The barrier, however, could not last forever. Soon, cracks began appearing again.

'That's some serious firepower that Sin has. Good thing I programmed one more thing on that two part barrier,' Max mused.

Most of the Crusaders had finally evacuated the beach. However, it was not without loss. So many bodies were strewn across the beach, but if Sin's attack had hit, then the death toll would have easily doubled, if not tripled. Luzzu and Gatta glanced back at the barrier, seeing it start to crack. However, instead of shattering, the shield suddenly tilted the attack at an angle upwards before detonating in a huge explosion. The remainder of Sin's attack flew up into the sky, where it could hit nobody.

Many of the crusaders were praising Yevon for a miracle, saying that it was protecting them even though they had forsaken the teachings. Luzzu and Gatto, however, knew who to thank, and hoped to live through this operation to deliver their thanks in person.

* * *

 **Tidus learned Slice n Dice!**

 **Max learned Shotgun spray! Use range weapon and fire a burst shot at close range! Enchant with magic! Effectiveness decrease as range increases!**

 **Hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Now that Max has started creating his items, things are going to go a bit off canon. The next chapter will have Paine, and I have a really good idea what to write about! Look forward to it!**


	23. Chapter 22 Meeting Paine!

**All right, new chapter. Hope you enjoy this one. This one took me some serious thinking to create this. I once received a message from someone, asking me if I was going to write an FFX-2 spinoff. My answer? NO! But wait, how will I make them have a happy ending? I got that planned out already, so don't worry! Now, introducing Paine! and a twist! Read to find out! Review if you can, it helps me improve and motivates me.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own FFX.**

* * *

'Sin's attack is a lot stronger than I thought. Gonna have to find some way to power up my barrier items,' mused Max as the attack flew upwards. Since nobody had been hit by the attack, Max and Tidus were able to stick together with the rest of the group.

"Look!" yelled Yuna as she pointed towards the structure. It seemed to be charging up for an attack based off the electrical sparks it was giving off. As she moved forward, Seymour tried to get close to her.

'Not on my watch, buddy,' thought Max as he 'accidentally' pushed Tidus to Yuna, blocking Seymour's attempt. Seymour slightly glared at Tidus, but backed off, as he didn't want to be too heavy-handed.

Everyone watched as Sin suddenly turned towards the structure while creating a dome of protective energy around itself. Soon, the structure fired a huge electrical blast into the shield, trying to penetrate it. It seemed useless, though, as the shield continued to expand against it, nearing towards the structure.

'That can't be the maximum energy output,' thought Max, 'Such a huge structure should have a high voltage tank and system in there unless those dunces don't know how to use it.'

As soon as he thought of that, the output suddenly increased by a lot. The shield from Sin started to shrink and strain, and it looked like it would give out. However, the shield distorted a bit, and shot a blast right into the structure, instantly destroying it as well as killing everyone in the structure.

* * *

Everyone gasped at this sudden destruction. They saw the attack pushing back the barrier and hoped that it would work, only to see it mercilessly crushed. Operation Mi'ihen was a failure, at the cost of so many lives. Yuna couldn't handle seeing so many people die, and became desperate as she grabbed her rod.

"Everyone, stand back! I'll summon!" she screamed, hoping that her summon would somehow miraculously defeat Sin.

"You won't hurt it," said Seymour suddenly and sternly, before letting his tone become soft. "Your powers are still…too weak."

"But I must do something!" she protested. Seymour merely looked away. She tried to summon, only for Seymour's voice to cut through again. "You can't!"

Yuna was already becoming a nervous wreck when Tidus suddenly hugged her.

"Calm down," he whispered. Soon, Yuna stopped shaking and was breathing deeply to calm herself.

"Let us go down to help," said Auron. "The only thing we can do now is to help out those in need. Yuna, you will perform the sending for the Crusaders."

Everyone nodded and ran down. As they ran down, Max looked back to see Seymour still at the cliffs, looking at them. However, he had a murderous gaze, pointing right at Tidus.

* * *

It was a disaster field everywhere. Bodies were across the beach, all signifying that these people would not return to their loved ones. However, even within this darkness, there was hope. Thanks to 'divine intervention', many Crusaders were still alive and able to retreat safely. The only bad part was that they were all blaming themselves for turning away from the teachings, giving Yevon even more power. As everyone helped the injured, Yuna performed the sending. Tidus watched as Yuna sent the dead to the Farplane. Every time she danced, Tidus always got the shivers and wished she wouldn't have to perform this dance anymore. Unfortunately, until Sin was gone, she would have to keep dancing. Tidus turned his gaze back towards the sea. Even from far away, he could feel that Sin was indeed Jecht. Jecht was Sin, and he had just killed so many people, and for what? These questions kept growing, and they weren't going to be answered anytime soon.

Auron strolled up to Tidus, gazing out to the sea, too. "Many stories ended here today…But…Yours goes on, I see," before walking off. Tidus looked at his back for awhile. Sin had come, and yet he and Max were still stuck in Spira. Was there no easy way back home?

Meanwhile, Max was wandering about. He was looking over bodies and seeing if he could salvage some of the machina when he heard voices. He crept over and saw Kinoc with his soldiers with their weapons pointed at three men and a woman. This woman had short silver hair and red eyes with a black leather ensemble. He overheard Kinoc talking about executing them before walking away. Max couldn't let someone just die, so he decided to intervene. He shot four sticky arrows right into the guard's chest. It didn't kill, merely stick out on them. The guards were confused until the arrow released sleeping powder right into their faces. As they slowly got up, Max jumped down.

"You guys alright?" he asked.

"We had that handled," scoffed the woman. Max rose an eyebrow at that statement but decided not to correct her.

"A thanks would be nice, Miss..." Max left that hanging.

"Paine," the woman replied.

"Paine, huh. Nice to meet you. Name's Max. Why is Yevon trying to kill you all?"

The other three men introduced themselves as Gippal, Nooj, and Baralai.

"We saw something they didn't want us to see," said Baralai. Max wanted to know more but decided to not chase after it.

"So, you're not safe from Yevon for now, right?" asked Max. They all nodded.

"We were planning to head back to Mi'ihen highroad to lay low." said Gippal.

"You sure that's a good idea?" said Max. "Most likely they have that entrance blocked to prevent people from entering for awhile."

"It's the best one we have for now," said Nooj calmly. "Everyone will be headed to Djose. They wouldn't think we would go with them."

"Actually, you're probably better off headed there," said Max, making them frown. "It's probably the 4th to the last place they'd expect you to go. Also, if you travel with Yuna under the pretense of providing extra protection while traveling, people won't stop you."

They gathered up to discuss this plan before coming to an agreement.

"Will you be able to convince her to do that?" asked Nooj.

"Won't be hard, she doesn't really like to say no and wants to help everyone. Just hide for awhile until Kinoc's gone," replied Max.

* * *

 _Back to Tidus_

Tidus ran after Auron and found him with everybody, talking to Kinoc. "A swift retreat. Satisfied?" grunted Auron. "What do you mean?" Kinoc replied with an innocent face that nobody was buying. "Those who turned from Yevon died, while the faithful live on," Auron answered bluntly. Kinoc remained silent at that, thinking about it. "Hmm. The past ten years have changed you, I see," he said before leaving.

As Kinoc left, Seymour approached Yuna.

"You do not look so well," he said. "But now more than ever, you must be the people's strength, their confidence. Anyone else would be expected to show their sorrow. But you…are a summoner. You are Spira's hope. Until Sin is defeated, you must not relent. Do you understand?" Yuna nodded, although looking a bit shaken from the pressure that was mounting on her shoulders. "Are you afraid?" Seymour asked. Yuna looked back at him. She couldn't stop her hands from shaking slightly _._ "Yuna, take me as your pillar of strength. As Yunalesca had her lord Zaon." Seymour whispered to Yuna. Max, however, heard it as he walked close to them.

"Lady Yuna. Until next we meet, farewell," he bowed before leaving.

"You alright, Yuna?" asked Max, concerned about what Seymour had said. She just nodded and said something about Maestors being strict.

Tidus signaled Max over to talk to Auron privately. After they got away from the group a little, Auron turned around and bluntly said, "Sin is Jecht."

"Yeah, for a while there, I thought I could feel him," Tidus acknowledged. "But that doesn't mean I believe you."

"Sin is Jecht. He came here for you." Auron pressed forward.

"So he killed all those people just for a chance to see me?" said Tidus.

"Not exactly the friendliest of visits one can get," replied Max.

"That's what Sin does. He wanted to show that to you. Do you know why?" Auron asked.

"How am I supposed to know?" replied Tidus, frustrated at this question. Max, however, caught on.

"He wants Tidus to kill him somehow. He wants to end this suffering," mused Max out loud.

"You gotta be kidding," blustered Tidus. He turned to Auron, "How do you know all this anyways?"

Auron merely chuckled and left. Tidus tried to call out to him, but Max put his hand on his shoulder.

"He won't answer our questions. Most likely we'll have to find out for ourselves," said Max.

"Yea," acknowledged Tidus, "Still don't like how he holds so much of the answers, though."

* * *

Everyone gathered together before finally leaving for Djose temple. Before they left, Max managed to find O'aka.

"Good to see your still alive," greeted Max.

O'aka turned around to him, but was frowning, "I made a bundle with the operation prices. But the way it turned out, they deserved a better deal."

"True, but they were going in for what they believed in," replied Max. Both of them had a moment of silence before speaking again. "You got what I asked for?"

O'aka nodded as he handed Max a pouch of it. "That'll be 6000 gils of that loan, lad."

Max took a look into the pouch, verifying that it was indeed gunpowder before agreeing to it. He trusted O'aka enough that he would not rip him off too much. This item was rare enough for this price, considering it was used for machinas that Yevon forbade.

Before they could set off, Max stopped them all.

"Got a favor to ask of you Yuna," said Max solemnly while bowing. Everyone paused. They hadn't seen Max be this respectful before asking for something. Seeing Yuna nod, Max waved his hand, signaling Paine and her crew to come over.

"These people need to head over to the Djose area, but aren't in the best shape. They requested to travel with us, seeing as we are a summoner party. In return, they offer protection for the time being."

Paine noticed that Max had skipped over the fact that Yevon was hunting them, and was glad Max skimmed over it without making it seem too much of a deal.

"You are injured? Let me help!" said Yuna as she prepared to cast _Cure_. Thanks were given, and soon, Nooj and they felt better enough to travel. As they introduced themselves to each of the guardians, Paine stopped right in front of Auron. They looked at each other for a good 10 seconds before Paine punched him in the stomach. Everyone was surprised at this action and was about to reprimand Paine for this action when Auron merely raised his hand, telling them to stop.

"This is a family matter between us," Auron wheezed out.

"FAMILY!?" yelled Tidus, Max, and Gippal.

"Auron's my uncle who took care of me when I was small. Until he decided to leave me behind and go on the pilgrimage. Then he disappeared for 10 years after Sin was defeated without a word, and somehow he's back, and he hasn't even gone to see I am," scoffed Paine. Tidus and Max winced. Ten years, he was at Zanarkand with them. It made letters to another world pretty hard to reach.

* * *

While Gippal, Nooj, and Baralai decided to introduce themselves to the rest, they all suddenly stopped at Tidus and stared at him. They suddenly got their weapons out and pointed it at him.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" said Wakka.

"Stop! What are you guys doing!?" yelled out Max. Tidus was extremely confused, but he jumped back in front of Yuna to protect her from anything that would come.

Gippal frowned for a bit, staring at Tidus with a scrutinizing eye before lowering his weapon, signaling the others to do the same.

"Sorry about that. We just came out of some god-forsaken cave after being haunted by someone that looks exactly like him," he said as he pointed to Tidus.

Max and Tidus frowned on the fact that there was somebody else that looked like him apparently. It was then that Nooj started to convulse. Looking at his eyes, they could all see flecks of insanity flickering in and out. Nooj started laughing and was about to raise his weapon again when Max threw sleeping powder he bought earlier for his arrows. Nooj instantly fell asleep face down onto the floor.

"What was that about?" questioned Tidus. Before they could respond, a ghostly body stepped out of Nooj.

"That's the one! The one who was haunting the mines! He goes by the name of Shuyin! He must have possessed Nooj!" yelled Paine.

"An unsent," observed Auron.

Max examined the ghost. He certainly did look like Tidus, except for a few key differences besides the clothes. His eyes were sharper and his hair was styled slightly different. Overall, though, one could mistake him for Tidus.

* * *

" _So you've found me out eh. No matter. I will have my revenge on all the living, and the ones who killed the one I LOVED!"_ yelled the unsent named Shuyin. He walked forward and suddenly stopped, looking at Yuna and Tidus only.

" _A clone of me?"_ Shuyin growled, _"I will not be replaced! I will find her, and nobody can stop me_." Everyone got prepared to fight, but exactly how did one fight a ghost?

Suddenly, Yuna's hair braid pulsed, causing Shuyin to stumble. He looked at Yuna, and the cold feelings in his eyes started to fade.

" _Lenne? Is it possible? Are you here?"_ Shuyin asked, desperation clearly in his voice. Yuna walked forward to confront the unsent. Everyone walked forward to try to stop her, but they were all suddenly blocked by an invisible force field. Only Tidus was able to get through somehow.

"I don't know who you are, but don't hurt anyone anymore. Please," Yuna said, strange emotions of sadness pouring out of her that didn't seem to originate from her.

" _No... You're not LENNE!"_ growled Shuyin as he ran forward with a sword appearing in his hand, intent on ending her life. Tidus threw his sword only to see it phase right through. He considered using his buckler, but if his sword didn't work, then most likely it wouldn't either. He did the only thing he could do. He quickly ran to Yuna and hugged her while turning around, protecting her with his back. Everyone else was trying to break through the barrier, Auron hacking as hard as he could, Lulu casting as many spells, and Kimahri was trying to use his Jump Overdrive on it. Max was shooting arrows only to see them fail. He cursed, and quickly pulled out an item. This would get him in trouble, but it was better than letting Tidus and Yuna die.

'Noo!' thought Yuna. She had grown to become accustomed to Tidus so fast that she didn't want Tidus to be gone from her life so soon. She hugged him with all his might, hoping that a miracle would happen. Her hair braid pulsed once more, and another ghost appeared right in front of them.

" _STOP! That's enough!_ " yelled the ghost woman with long brown hair and beaded earrings. She had a blue top with white ruffles on the front and extended down to her knee on the left side. She wore a short, black lace skirt with a blue belt, and knee-high brown boots. She has black ribbons on her upper arms, blue glovelets held on by black straps. Shuyin instantly halted his swing as soon as he saw the one he craved for so long. Max sighed in relief as he discreetly put his item back into his pouch, making sure nobody saw it.

" _Lenne? Is it truly you?"_ said Shuyin, dropping his sword. The ghost Lenne walked forward, raising her hand to his face, and nodded. Shuyin started crying but noticed that both of them were already starting to fade.

 _"A thousand years and this is all we get?"_ said Shuyin with tears streaming down his face.

" _This moment's enough. I don't need anything else. Besides, it looks like our other selves have found each other, haven't they?"_ said Lenne, Her eyes were also streaming with tears, and yet to Shuyin, this didn't detract from her beauty at all. They both looked towards Tidus and Yuna. Both of them had their eyes closed and hadn't noticed that Lenne popped out, but the others certainly did and were in shock. Even Auron and Kimahri seemed disturbed by this.

 _"True. That boy looks a lot like me, and the girl, although she looks different, certainly carries your spirit. She even has the special hair bead that I made for you. A reincarnation of ourselves perhaps?"_ Shuyin whispered to Lenne, not wanting to let anyone hear what he was saying. He was a man of science, after all.

 _"If they are, then we'll have to make sure they get their happy ending_ ," said Lenne. Nodding in agreement, both of them walked forward to Tidus and Yuna, who had finally noticed that nothing was happening and let go of each other, albeit reluctantly.

* * *

" _Sorry about that. Thank you for reuniting with me my love, though,"_ said Shuyin as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly, doing the exact same way as Tidus does.

" _We'll be leaving for the next world, now. I promise that he won't make any more trouble_ ," said Lenne as she flicked Shuyin in the forehead. Both the ghosts raised their hand to shake their counterparts. Yuna and Tidus were confused but agreed. As they let go, the unsent gave their counterparts one last advice to them.

" _Look sharp, buddy. Make sure you get her and don't let go,_ " whispered Shuyin, discreetly pointing at Yuna while only letting Tidus hear what he said. Tidus blushed at this advice but nodded.

" _Don't let him go now. I know you like him,"_ giggled Lenne. Yuna blushed but frowned at the advice.

"But, the Final Sum-," Yuna whispered, not wanting to let Tidus hear what she was going to say.

" _Don't worry, I already know the secret. You have to tell him sometime, though. If he loves you like my Shuyin does to me, he'll find a way to break that cycle."_ whispered Lenne back. Both unsent stepped back and hugged each other one last time before dispersing into pyreflies.

"Well, that was something," said Max, trying to make sense of what just happened. Nobody could even comprehend it.

"I can't even wrap my mind around what happened," sad Baralai.

Deciding that it was best not to spread a word of this, they decided to head to their destination. Nooj was awakened and given a quick summary of what just happen.

"I can't believe I let that unsent possess me," muttered Nooj. Gippal slapped him on the head, telling him it wasn't his fault.

* * *

As they headed towards the Djose temple, they saw many crusaders all walking towards the same direction, in search of shelter and food for the night. Tidus and Max slowed down, looking around at how everyone had been desensitized to the possibility of death due to Sin. Kimahri, for some reason, also slowed down with them.  
"Hey, you three! Hurry up!" shouted Yuna before running ahead.  
"She's awfully cheerful," commented Tidus.  
Kimahri then spoke for the very first time in front of Tidus and Max, "In dark times she must be. She must shine bright. Now are dark times. Yuna tries hard."

Max and Tidus gaped at him before shaking their heads off the shock.  
"We should help her, then," said Tidus.  
"If we worry, she tries harder. Do not frown," advised Kimahri.  
"Don't worry, be happy?" asked Tidus.  
"Kimahri try, too," said Kimahri.

"Let's see that smile then," said Max.

Both of them stared at Kimahri as he tried his best to smile. Unfortunately, this smile would scare small children and make them cry.

"Sad," said Tidus. "Keep practicing, big guy," advised Max

They continued forward, defeating fiends and helping other Crusaders to their destination. They finally hit a crossroad with a sign saying the right pathway would lead to Djose. At this point, Tidus got a bit impatient.

"Hey! How much longer till Zanarkand?"  
"Still a ways," said Wakka.  
"First down the Moonflow to the Guado city of Guadosalam… Then we cross the Thunder Plains to the temple of Macalania." explained Lulu.

Yuna giggled and said, "And before that, we get to pray at the temple in Djose!"  
Max frowned and questioned, "We can't just go directly to Zanarkand?"  
"Mm-mm. I have to pray to the fayth in every temple in order to earn the Final Aeon." explained Yuna.  
"That's a summoner's training. She's gotta prepare mind and body, all just to get ready for the Final Summoning," said Wakka.

"I'm surprised you didn't know that, being a guardian," said Gippal. Max and Tidus winced.

"We've... been exposed to Sin's toxin too long. Can't really remember much. This trip's to help us while we protect Yuna too." said Tidus lamely.

"Your lucky you survived Sin's encounter. Praise be to Yevon," said Baralai before wincing, remembering it was Yevon that tried to kill them.

Nooj frowned. "How long was this? Your memories should've come back if it was quite awhile."

"Been a few weeks I guess? It was when we washed up to Besaid," said Max. Nooj looked like he didn't buy it, but accepted it for the while. "Hmm. Must be tough, Yuna," said Tidus as he rubbed his chin with his hand, trying to change the subject off from them. "I'll be fine with you here!" exclaimed Yuna, running off first. Everyone else walked to catch up with her.

Max prodded Tidus, "She's coming on to you buddy. Better catch her while you can."

Tidus blushed, "You think so? I... do like her. More than anyone we've ever met in Zanarkand. Even the ghost clone told me to chase after her." Tidus only told Max of what Shuyin said because he believed only Max wouldn't judge him to be crazy.

Max nodded. Before they moved forward, Auron's voice cut through.  
"Hey, new guys," said Auron. They turned around, a little peeved to be called that.  
"What can I do for you, boss?" snarked Tidus.

"Don't tell Yuna you know about Sin and Jecht," advised Auron. "You know her…She would…distance herself from you. We do not want that."  
Tidus rolled his eyes, "Yeah, but even if I did something, no one would believe me, you know?"  
"Yuna would," stated Auron bluntly.  
"Ah…you have a point," said Tidus, with Max nodding too. "Come to think of it…did we really have to know about Jecht? What about my feelings?"

"Better than you finding out at a critical moment, becoming emotional," stated Auron before walking away.

Tidus stuttered at this and wanted to call Auron out. Before he could, Max already replied.

"He's right, though. Better to find out now than at the moment. Lots of people crash down because of that."

Tidus huffed, knowing Auron and Max were right. But he still wanted the last word.  
"Hey! I still don't buy your story, you hear?" he shouted. Auron ignored him.

* * *

As they walked into the village, the ground suddenly shook. Everyone ignored it, continuing forward. Tidus and Max were ready to drop on the floor, but seeing how everybody ignored, they figured it had to do something with the village. They saw a lot of Crusaders lounging around the temple, and all the priests and nuns were running around, carrying medical equipment. Lucil ran to meet them

"Yuna, it is good to see you and your companions are well."  
"Yourselves as well, Captain. We were worried. Praise be to Yevon!" said Yuna.

'Pfft, it was my/Max's invention that made them live,' thought Max and Tidus.  
"We escaped with our lives, but our troops were decimated. We were lucky that strange blue shield suddenly appeared, otherwise our death toll would be much higher. We turned our backs on the teachings and cast away our faith. This…this is our just reward."

The group continued forward to a huge... boulder. Max was wondering what was wrong when suddenly the rocks flew out and floated around the temple. Lightning could be seen zapping intermittently.

"Awesome!" shouted Max and Tidus.

"The Lightning Mushroom Rock. It only opens when a summoner is addressing the fayth," she explained. Tidus and Max thought it was funny and thoughtful of Lulu to automatically give explanations about Spira. This should've been Wakka's or Auron's job, but the first one wouldn't do a very good job of explaining, and the second one wouldn't bother.

"That means another summoner's already in there," said Wakka.

"Another summoner?" mused Yuna.

"What if it's Dona?" said Tidus, thinking about the only other summoner they knew.

"Shouldn't be. She wasn't allowed past the waypoint, so no way she got there faster," pointed out Max. Just before they went in, they all saw Luzzu standing next to a crouching Gatta and decided they had time to approach them first.

* * *

"You guys alright?" asked Max.

"Hey. We're fine. Gatta's going through a bit of a breakdown. I guess seeing that many people dead at once while being next to Sin and facing death in the face will do that. I suppose also seeing that the mission was a failure was also a shock to him. I'm surprised I'm not down there with him," replied Luzzu.  
"I can't do this…I'm going back to Besaid!" cried out Gatta.

Tidus frowned before kneeling to Gatta. "Hey, you still lived. Your story still goes on, as well as Luzzu's." Great, now he was sounding like Auron.

Gatta shook his head a few times before finally standing up. His eyes were still red from crying, though. "Thanks," he said.

"If it wasn't for y..." Luzzu was about to reveal to them that it was Max's item who had saved them, but saw Max forming an X sign with his hand, telling him not to say anything in the present crowd.

"Yevon's blessing, I don't think Gatta or me would be standing here." Luzzu finished. He didn't like to lie but respected Max's decision.

"Praise be to Yevon," said Wakka as he bowed. "Your lucky that Gatta's still alive after doing a foolish thing and going to the front without proper training."

"So, you two headed back to Besaid for now?" asked Tidus, "back to get some R&R before getting back into the fight?"

Luzzu nodded, "It would be best for us to do so. Gatta's in no condition to continue, and I'm not in the best condition either."

Wakka nodded, "I can't give you those punches I owe you if you're not in a good condition, ya."

* * *

Paine and her group decided to go rest at the inn and lay low while the rest left Luzzu and Gatta alone and entered into the temple, where they saw the customary statues place inside the temple entrance hall. However, since obviously, this temple had a theme with lightning, several stands were inside conducting mass amounts of electricity. The door to the Cloister of Trials suddenly opened, and two men and a young boy came out. The one with brown hair dressed in blue colored theme robes noticed them and walked up to them. Behind him, one male was dressed in light armor and cloth, while the young boy was dressed in protective clothing.

"I beg your pardon, but may I ask your name?" asked the robed man  
"I am Summoner Yuna, from the isle of Besaid," she replied respectfully while bowing.  
"As I thought! The daughter of Lord Braska. You have the look of your father," he mused out loud.  
"My father? You knew him?" she asked.  
The man shook his head, "No, I have never met the man. Ah, my apologies. I am Isaaru. I am a summoner, like you." he bowed back in respect.  
"I'm Pacce. Pleased to meet you," introduced the boy.  
" And I'm Maroda. I'm guarding my big brother here," finished the light armored man.

'Hmm, a family protecting together. Not bad,' thought Max.

They made some small talk before the summoners both challenged each other on who would defeat Sin first. Overall, Issaru looked like a man who could be well-respected and easily likable. After they left, everyone else entered in the door that lead to the Cloister of Trials. Max and Tidus stayed behind a little to take in the temple, and the party agreed to wait for them. After looking around, both were ready to enter. Before they climbed the stairs, someone called them out.  
"Hey, you."

They looked back and saw that Maroda had called them, along with Issaru and Pacce. Figuring no harm could come, they stepped back to meet them. Issaru warned them about rumors of summoners suddenly disappearing from their journey and asked them to be careful. Liking Issaru more by the minute, Max decided to 'drop' something in their items. Pacce was the easiest target, as he was constantly distracted, so Max dropped a small tick onto his clothes. Nobody noticed except Tidus, who was used to Max's actions already. Nobody could see the item unless they focused hard with a magnifying glass. As they left, Tidus quickly whirled around to Max.

"Alright, what did you do?"

"That was just a tracker. Can't track them if their too far, but I have a feeling it'll be useful in the future. Issaru is most likely not to abandon Pacce, and Maroda will follow his lead." answered Max.

Tidus just shook his head at Max's antics and climbed up the stairs into the Cloister of Trials.

* * *

 **All right, hope you enjoyed that chapter! Next chapter might be postponed a little due to Tests.**


	24. Chapter 23 A new member! To Moonflow

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFX.**

 **Alright hit past 30 favorites and 37 followers, with a total of over 6000 views.**

* * *

The trial was interesting, to say the least. It was more complicated than the last, and a few times Wakka and Tidus argued where to put the spheres. In the end, they did figure it out and managed to enter the room before the Chamber of the Fayth. Yuna quickly bowed down in front of the door. The door shield rose up, allowing Yuna entrance. While she was in there praying, everyone else just waited, leaning on walls or standing still. Kimahri took his customary place next to the entrance, while Auron leaned back near the exit. Suddenly, the exit opened, and Dona and Barthello suddenly burst in. Dona looked around before dismissing them with a scoff.

"Well, well. You again. Still traveling around with quite the crowd, I see."

Barthello tried to act tough, but it was very obvious he was doing his best to avoid looking at Max. The memory of the nutcracker was still in his mind. When he saw Auron, he suddenly stopped acting tough and walked up to Auron.

Dona saw this and mocked, "What is it, Barthello? You know this riffraff?" Auron didn't even seem phased that he had just been insulted.

"You are…Auron, no?" ask Barthello.

"What of it?" Auron said.

"Can…I shake your hand? Auron–no, Sir Auron. You're the reason I became a guardian!" said Barthello in an excited tone. Obviously, he was a huge fan of his. Auron chuckled at this before he offered his hand to Barthello, who shook it with great enthusiasm. Donna seemed shocked at this. Obviously, she had heard of Auron and also respected him, but she didn't know that he was actually here and that she had just insulted him.

"Calling the personal guardian to Lord Braska riffraff?" mocked Wakka. "And you call yourself a summoner?" asked Lulu sarcastically. Strangely enough, the thunderclaps decided to sound right after she had said that. It was funny to see like it was signifying Donna's impending doom. Frustrated, she called Barthello back to her side before waiting Yuna to finish. Not even 1 minute in and she was getting impatient.

* * *

Suddenly, the door opened, and Yuna stumbled out, tired. Kimahri helped her stay steady on her feet.  
Dona took a look at Yuna and growled, "You owe much to your father. All these guardians…and Sir Auron too? And I hear Maester Seymour's quite taken with you. The world must look different when you're the daughter of Lord Braska."

'That's a lot of jealousy in there," thought Max and Tidus.

'Seymour might be interested in Yuna, but no way I'm letting him interfere with Yuna and Tidus,' Max added in his thoughts. " This has nothing to do with my father! I am traveling on my own, as a full-fledged summoner!" Yuna replied, upset at Donna's statement. "Oh, is that so? Then try standing on your own two legs for once. Your guardians won't be able to protect you when the time comes," huffed Donna before going inside the Chamber of the Fayth.

Everyone gave Donna the evil eye as she entered before they left to go back out. Once they were out, Yuna went to help the priests heal any injured Crusaders. Everyone else went to help, and most were surprised at Tidus's knowledge of the body. Max, though, somehow disappeared from their sight, and nobody could find him. Tidus and Auron already knew what Max wanted to do, and so told them to not worry about him. He would be back when it was time to go since they would be staying at Djose for the night.

* * *

 _Where Max is_

Max was inside a room where there was a lot of electricity. So much that it was actually the main light source for the room. Max had his tools out and was grinning. In Luca, he managed to craft what he wanted with fire and a forge but was unable to get enough electricity output. His thunder spells weren't powerful enough, and he couldn't afford to ask Lulu. Now, there was a mass amount of electricity in this place, and nobody would mind him 'taking' some of it to power up and make some of his items. Solar power was useful, but it just wasn't enough to give him the initial power boost before stabilizing it. After careful crafting, he made some of his items he thought would be useful. He got shocked about twelve times from using the electrical source, but hey, need to make some sacrifices to invent. After he had finished, he stepped out of the room to meet face to face with Luzzu and Gatta.

Luzzu and Gatta were staring at Max. Or rather, his hair, for it was sticking up with random strays of electricity coursing through it like a mad scientist. They decided for the safety of their minds not to ask why. Instead, they wanted to know more about those items Max had given them.

"First, thank you for saving us. Without those items, I doubt neither of us would be alive today, and it saved many Crusaders from death today. Most likely without it, our death toll would have tripled. Instead, we just some dead and many wounded, most of which is recoverable." said Luzzu formally as he bowed. Gatta bowed along with him before launching the question in their mind.

"What was that? And how'd you get it? It seems to be a machina, but we're not sure if it is part of the forbidden ones, as all it did was defend. And why didn't you claim credit?"

Max looked around, making sure nobody was eavesdropping on them before replying.

"What I say can not go out to anyone, understood?" After seeing Luzzu and Gatta promise on their life and honor, Max continued.

"The cube's a barrier and the triangle was a booster. I didn't get them, but rather I made them from scratch."

Both were shocked. They were sure Max wasn't Al Bhed, but who else besides those people could fiddle with technology beyond their understanding. Even then, most machina's that was unknown were usually made from already existing items.

"I won't go into detail on how to make them, as I doubt anybody would understand, but please don't tell anyone. Especially Wakka. He would turn me to Yevon without a heartbeat, and I don't feel like answering unwanted questions."

Luzzu nodded, knowing how much Wakka hated any type of machina except for ones used in blitzball or the ones Yevon decided. Gatta was still stuttering but eventually agreed to it. They split away, with nobody knowing that a meeting had just occurred. Before they separated, Max gave Luzzu and item and told him to hold onto it and place it near a tv set. Luzzu decided to agree, seeing it was a request from the man who saved his life.

* * *

Tidus was getting a drink when Baralai sat next to him. He stared at Tidus for awhile, making him uncomfortable, so Tidus tried to leave. Just as he stood up, Baralai asked, "Who are you exactly?"

Tidus just turned around and gave him a look. "I already introduced myself. I'm Tidus."

Baralai shook his head, "Not exactly what I meant. You and Shuyin looked identical, and yet he was an unsent while you are living. We know based on his conversation he lived 1000 years ago, and yet your here. So who, or rather, what are you?"

Tidus looked away, unable to explain that somehow he was from Zanarkand of another world or a thousand years ago, too. Fortunately, Gippal intervened.

"Cmon Baralai, no need to get so uptight. Max did help us out, so no need to go upset his friends."

Baralai merely scoffed and wanted to continue when Auron stepped in.

"It's getting late. We should go rest for tomorrow."

Hearing the legendary guardian's command, everyone just agreed and went to sleep.

* * *

Max shared a room with Tidus as usual. Before Tidus could talk, Max held his palm out to stop him. Max closed the windows and opened the door to check if anyone was listening in. After making sure nobody was there, he closed it and placed a metallic item on it.

"There. I just put a silencer in our room. Nobody should be able to hear us, and if they tried, they'd just hear a humming noise."

Tidus nodded and saw Max open his arm computer while having the Al Bhed book on his lap.

"Compiling a language translator for the computer?" asked Tidus. Max grunted in confirmation while creating the program.

"Wonder what the deal was with that Shuyin and Lenne ghosts?" asked Tidus.

"I don't know. I'm not knowledgeable in ghost lore, and looking at everyone's reaction, neither were they. Auron might know, but I doubt he'll tell us," replied Max.

Tidus nodded, agreeing that Auron wouldn't tell them anything. Heck, he had a niece and none of them even knew about it.

Max closed his arm computer. "Got a program running now. Just needs to install in and we'll be able to understand what the Al Bhed are saying if we're alone. Let's get some sleep for now."

Tidus stood up and grabbed the silencing chip and tossed it back to Max before heading off to dreamland.

* * *

That night, Tidus dreamed of Yuna. They were back on Besaid, on the beach. They were playing with each other, splashing water on each other. Yuna tripped and landed on Tidus's chest. They looked at each other in the eyes... no gazed into each other's souls. Tidus lowered his head down while Yuna tilted up. They were about to kiss when a noise interrupted his dream. Startled, he woke up, cursing the fact that his dream just ended. He looked out to see it was still dark and went back to sleep. Little did he know that Yuna also had the same dream and woke up at the same time. She blushed at the dream. She remembered Lenne's words of advice to her. Yuna sighed, knowing that she would have to tell Tidus and Max. Perhaps a little longer, though. She didn't want to end such a great time yet.

* * *

Soon, morning came to everyone. Tidus and Max got up to stretch before heading to the temple, where they agreed to meet up. Everyone, including Paine, Baralai, Gippal, and Nooj were there. The star of the journey was still absent, though. Tidus went into the temple, knowing that Yuna would be in there somewhere. He found her still asleep on the bed. Her posture, her face, it took Tidus's willpower to not just give her a good morning kiss. Instead, he turned over to the nun who was watching over her.

"She was working very late. Healing the wounded, sending the fallen," said the nun.  
"Okay… I guess I'll just let her sleep for now, then," replied Tidus. Just as he was about to turn around, Yuna woke up.  
"Ah! Morning!" Tidus greeted. Yuna let out a cute yawn before she realized it was morning.

"What? Morning?" she yelped. "Don't worry!" said Tidus, trying to calm her down.  
"But it's morning!" Yuna exclaimed, flustered. "I'm so sorry! I-I'll get ready right away! Just a moment!"  
Seeing that Yuna was already getting ready, Tidus decided to walk out back with the others to wait. Shortly after, Yuna came running out of the temple.

"Yo! Sleepyhead!" said Wakka. "Sorry! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me," said Yuna as she bowed. "Really, there's no rush…Here, your hair," said Lulu lovingly, helping her organize her hair. "A summoner with bed hair! What's the world comin' to?" teased Wakka. "You could've woken me up!" Yuna complained. " Ah… we called to you, but with all that snoring…" Lulu's voice trailed off.

"Yea, I'm surprised that people slept through that," said Gippal before getting whacked in the head by Nooj.

" Mmm…what is it today? Everyone's picking on me!" Everyone laughed. Auron and Paine, the most stoic of the group, actually chuckled.

"Oh! You too, Sir Auron? Paine?" "Once Lady Yuna fixes her hair, we leave!" declared Auron.

* * *

"So, where are you guys gonna go?" Max asked Paine, Baralai, Nooj, and Gippal.

"Imma head back to my place. My people will keep me safe," said Gippal.

"I'll be staying around here and helping the survivors get back to their homes," replied Nooj.

"I'm going to head to Bevelle as fast as possible," Baralai told them, "I have some friends in high places. I'll have to hide for awhile, but in time I'm sure I can get justice for what Maestor Kinoc tried to do."

The trio looked at Paine, who was still thinking.

"I... think I want to travel with you guys," stated Paine, pointing towards Yuna. This surprised everyone.

"I do owe you, and I can help protect Yuna while grilling Auron on where he's been," explained Paine. "Will you take me as a guardian, Yuna?"

"Of course! The more the merrier," exclaimed Yuna.

* * *

As they were all about to go their separate ways, Max quickly found Nooj alone.

"Nooj, you recognize you owe me a favor right?" said Max. Nooj nodded, not knowing where this was going. "Alright, I'm going to cash that in. Since your heading back to the Mi'ihen road and most likely be back in Luca, I want you to put this near a televisions sphere set connector., preferably the main one without asking questions." Nooj saw that Max had a small chip in his hand. Confused, he took it and agreed, getting confirmation it would be harmless.

Everyone waved goodbye to each other and promised to meet up again soon. As Yuna's party proceeded towards the Moonflow, they met Shelinda.

"Good day, everyone. We can all learn a lesson from what has happened to the Crusaders. Only the truly faithful have a hope of defeating Sin," she declared solemnly. Max growled at that statement. He had heard from Tidus that the Maesters knew it wasn't going to work at all and didn't bother to convince them to stop. Instead, they used it as a publicity stunt to gain even more worshipers, at the cost of lives. It would have been so many more lives if Max's invention hadn't helped

They continued forward, fighting more fiends. They quickly found out that Paine used a sword like Auron, and her swordplay was quite similar to his too. The only difference was that Paine's style was slightly more flexible while Auron focused on power.

"Hey Yuna, why don't you show us your new summon?" asked Tidus as he dodged a fiend's attack. Apparently, large fiend types were common on this road, and it took some effort to kill them.

Yuna nodded as she assumed her customary pose. The four lights arose from around her again. She clasped both her hands onto the middle of her staff and concentrated. Soon, an electrical barrier surrounded her before 3 bolts of bluish-white lightning came down from the sunny skies. All of it traveled in a circumference around her until Yuna raised her staff towards the sky. In a flash, all the lightning bolts and the barrier were concentrated on the tip of Yuna's staff in a sphere. She swung it back before the lightning traveled a certain distance. A summoning insignia appeared, and a portal made out of lightning came forth. A horn popped out of it, being connected to the lightning bolt from Yuna staff. She swung forward this time, and the summon suddenly popped out of the portal. A majestic horse came out of it with a white mane and a golden horn. White tufts of hair could be seen on the horse, and lightning crackled off its skin.

"Please help us Ixion," said Yuna. The horse named Ixion nodded before concentrating a ball of lightning on its horn. It reared its neck back before swinging its horn down, shooting what seemed to be two boomerangs of lightning right into the fiend. Ixion made short work of some of the fiends before being dismissed.

* * *

As they walked, they saw Biran and Yenke bullying someone. The person ran away as fast as possible before Biran and Yenke turned to them. They started to taunt Kimahri as usual, but also warned them about summoners disappearing. Of course, they made it seem like Kimahri was worthless, but he ignored them. Soon, they managed to get to where Moonflow was. It was quite a sight.

"Whoa!" said Tidus. The river was huge, but it wasn't what amazed Tidus, but rather the appearance. Dozens of lilac flowers grew in the riverbed that swayed in the current. It mainly grew near the bank, and occasionally emitted blue lights from the flowers, similar to pyreflies. "This is the Moonflow," said Lulu, announcing their current location.

Yuna bent down near one of the flowers, signaling Tidus to come near. "These are moonlilies! They say that clouds of pyreflies gather here when night falls."  
"The entire river glows, like a sea of stars," said Lulu, finishing the explanation.  
"Really?" asked Tidus. All of a sudden, he wanted to see it. "Hey, I got an idea!"  
"We're not waiting till nightfall." said Auron, shooting that idea down.  
"Then, once we beat Sin, we're coming back!" exclaimed Tidus. Max thought it was a good idea until both of them saw that nobody would answer, and merely continued to look everywhere else except Tidus. Finally, Wakka decided to change the subject. "Hey, we better hurry or we'll miss the shoopuf!"  
"Shoopuf? That some kind of boat?" asked Tidus. Wakka merely pointed into the distance.  
"Whoa, what the…whoa!" said Tidus.

"That's a big animal," remarked Max.

"This is a shoopuf," Wakka said proudly. "We board on that when we're ready, ya?"

They continued along the riverside to get to the shoopuf loading station. Paine was walking next to Auron, slightly away from Max and Tidus when she asked.

"Are those two idiots? Do they not know?"

Auron gave his niece a glance but replyied, "One of them is Jecht's son. Both are from where Jecht was." He left it at that, confusing Paine even more.

* * *

They continued to walk towards the shoopuf station when Yuna strolled beside Tidus.

"Shoopufs! I haven't ridden one in so long!" she exclaimed.

"What? You've been on one of these?" Tidus questioned her.

"Well, just once. Ten years ago, with Kimahri. Remember?" she said as she recalled her memory.

"Shoopuf shook. Yuna fall in water. Shoopuf scoop up Yuna with long nose. Yuna jump in three more times for fun. Kimahri worried," said Kimahri without any emotion.

"Whoops!" said Yuna as she blushed at that. Kimahri just shook his head as he continued, "Yuna had fun. Kimahri happy."

They finally reached the loading station, where they saw Lucil and her knights arguing with a strange blue creature. Lulu, being the appointed explanation person, told Max and Tidus that they were Hypello, a species that thrived in water and usually drove the shoopuf. After Lucil stormed off, they got made arrangements to cross over the Moonflow. Since Yuna was on her pilgrimage, she had priority and was arranged to cross when the shoopuff was ready. During that time, tons of merchants were trying to sell them items, but Max took the task upon himself to buy all items needed. Obviously, he went straight for O'aka.

Tidus sat down next to Auron when Auron opened his mouth.

"Ten years ago…"

Tidus groaned, "A history lesson?"

Auron continued as if he wasn't interrupted. "Jecht saw his first shoopuf here. Surprised, he drew his blade and struck it." Tidus just stared at Auron, trying to imagine why his father would even do such a thing. "Why?" "He was drunk…Thought it was a fiend," explained Auron. "Oh, brother…" said Tidus, knowing Jecht's drinking problems. "We offered all the money we had as an apology. Jecht never drank again," said Auron.

"He was drunk…Thought it was a fiend," explained Auron. "Oh, brother…" said Tidus, knowing Jecht's drinking problems. "We offered all the money we had as an apology. Jecht never drank again," said Auron.

'Well, at least it solved one problem," thought Tidus. He saw Auron looked miffed at something, though.

" But, it would seem that shoopuf still works here," Auron finished. Tidus chuckled at that. Auron was sore from offering all that money, and yet the shoopuff wasn't even that badly damaged.

* * *

They all got onto the shoopuff after they had gotten all their items. It was slightly a tight fit with Paine, but they managed. Max felt like another nudge for Tidus and Yuna was in order, so he managed to manipulate so they were sitting next to each other in a wide couch. Kimahri tried to sit next to Yuna, but Max took that spot. Irritated, he just took the next seat closest to her. They were on the shoopuff for a bit when Wakka decided to point something out.

"Hey," Wakka said to Max and Tidus. "Take a look," nodding his head towards the water. Max stood up to look over the same place with Tidus.  
"Whoa!" Tidus yelped as he saw ruins underwater. "A sunken city, _"_ said Max.

"A machina city– a thousand years old! They built this city on top of bridges across the river," said Wakka.

Lulu finished his sentence, "But the weight of the city caused the bridges to collapse, and it all sank to the bottom."

"Right. It's a good lesson," stated Wakka.

"A lesson?" asked Max and Tidus.

"Yeah. Why build a city over a river, ya?" said Wakka.

'Ooh, I could think of a dozen reasons why,' thought Max. "Uh… Well, it would be convenient, with all that water there," said Tidus.

"Nope, that's not why. They just wanted to prove they could defy the laws of nature!" Wakka asserted.

"Hmmm? I'm not so sure about that," said Tidus.

"I highly doubt a city would be built over water just for defiance Wakka. There had to be more practical reasons," said Max.

Wakka ignored him and continued with his sermon "Yevon has taught us: When humans have power, they seek to use it. If you don't stop them, they go too far, ya?" "Yeah, but don't you use

"Yeah, but don't you use machina too? Like the stadium and stuff, right?" asked Tidus. "Yevon, it decides… which

"Yevon, it decides… which machina we may use, and which we may not," said Lulu.

"Seriously? You let a group of people and religion dictate all your actions?" asked Max. "So what kind of machina may we not use, then?" asked Tidus curiously. "Remember Operation Mi'ihen? That kind." Wakka angrily stated. "Or war will rage

"So what kind of machina may we not use, then?" asked Tidus curiously. "Remember Operation Mi'ihen? That kind." Wakka angrily stated. "Or war will rage

"Remember Operation Mi'ihen? That kind." Wakka angrily stated. "Or war will rage again." said Lulu.

"Or war will rage again." said Lulu.

At this, Wakka and Lulu explained how in the past, machina's were built to kill, and more and more powerful weapons were made to compete against each other. In the end, the end result was that Sin had somehow spawned from this and destroyed cities and their machina.

"Man, that's rough," said Tidus.

"Yeah, it is," Wakka admitted. "In that case, it's more of the user's fault and not the machina, isn't it? Machina can't exactly point and shoot without someone to guide it," said Max.

Wakka gave Max the evil eye on that. Max backed off, not wanting his cover exposed yet.

"It's because of people like the Al Bhed screwin' everything up!" exclaimed Wakka.

'Ow. He really doesn't like Al Bhed and machina because of his brother, huh,' thought Tidus.

* * *

Suddenly, the shoopuff stopped with a shudder.

"Whatsh could thatsh be?" said the Hypello driver.

Yuna stood up to see what the rumbling was when she realized her mistake. Before she could sit back down, an Al Bhed swooped in and kidnapped her. The man dove into the water with his hostage.

"The Al Bhed!" Wakka exclaimed. Tidus quickly dove into the water, followed by Wakka and Paine.

"Aren't you going to follow?" Lulu asked Max. She knew Max was an excellent swimmer based on his performance at the blitzball game.

Max shook his head, "My weapons don't work too well underwater. Plus, I can help from here." said Max as he put his goggles on. They didn't know it, but the goggles helped Max aim better and was directly linked to his arm computer.

"Also, I'm going to need your help Lulu." said Max as he got his arrows out.

* * *

 _Back to Tidus, Wakka, and Paine_

Tidus swam as fast as possible to catch up. Fortunately, he managed to catch up to where Yuna was. Unfortunately, she was trapped in a barrier that luckily had air right above a machine. Tidus looked at it and realized that this was similar to the machine that he, along with Lulu and Kimahri, had destroyed. Either they salvaged it or the made an underwater version of it. The machina opened fired on them with what seemed to be blobs of air. Tidus took one to the chest and nearly knocked out due to the impact. Shaking his head, he swam back up for some air before swimming back down to engage. After a few slices and hits from the blitzball, the machina quickly rose up above them. They saw that on the underside were barrels in it, ready to drop its load on them. Not having enough time to swim away, they braced for impact. Luckily, an arrow came in time, hitting the machina before releasing a huge spark of thunder. This one seemed stronger than the average _Thunder_. The machine slightly malfunctioned, allowing them to swim away before it released its payload and missed. Tidus took a glance and noticed Max aiming while Lulu was casting her spells onto the arrows. With Max and Lulu supporting them, the machina was quickly taken down. The barrier burst after losing its power source, freeing Yuna. Tidus quickly swam up to her and guided her towards the shoopuff. They all quickly back on the carriage on the shoopuff, trying to shake the excess water off. Luckily, the driver had some towels handy, as they experience people falling off quite a few times.

* * *

"Are you hurt?" Lulu said worriedly as she ran her hands over Yuna's body, checking for injuries.

"No, I'm fine," said Yuna.

"Grrah! Those Al Bhed!" growled Wakka.

"Ish ebullibody okay?" said the driver.

"I'm sorry! We're all okay now!" said Yuna, standing up to wave at the driver.

"Yuna!" said Auron sharply. Yuna quickly sat back down with her hands clasped in her lap. "Shoopuf full shpeed aheads!" said the driver.

"Damn the Al Bhed! What do they want from us?" ranted Wakka. "Could it have something to do with Luca? What are they after Yuna for? Wait! They're mad they lost the tournament! Or, wait! They're mad about Operation Mi'ihen!"

"I wonder… Didn't Kimahri's clansman say something… about summoners…disappearing?" said Lulu.

"Ah! So the Al Bhed are behind that! Those sand-blasted grease monkeys!" exclaimed Wakka. Tidus saw Yuna wince at this and remembered that Yuna was half Al Bhed, too.

"Hey, Wakka. It's no use complaining about the Al Bhed now, right? We'll protect Yuna from anyone, anywhere. It's that easy. That's all I need to know!" said Tidus, trying to pacify Wakka. "Well… I guess so," he said reluctantly before sitting back down.

While he was looking away, Tidus took a look at Yuna. She mouthed the word thank you before returning to her seat next to Tidus. Making sure nobody was looking, he took her hand and grasped it a little, as if asking her if she was truly alright. Yuna was surprised, but returned the gesture, showing that she was fine.

* * *

 **Hoped you enjoy this chapter. If you notice, I'm putting more interaction with Yuna and Tidus. Review if you can! Much appreciated. Next up, our favorite Al Bhed comes back!**


	25. Chapter 24 Rikku's Back! To Guadosalam

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFX.**

 **Woot, 35 Favorites and 43 Followers. Over 7.4k of views. Appreciate the reviews that wer posted recently, makes me happy, even if it was across multiple chapters.**

* * *

They crossed the Moonflow, but as soon as Yuna stepped onto land, she was surrounded by admirers and well-wishers. Seeing how they wouldn't be moving at all, Max decided to walk a bit ahead to check out the road with Tidus. As they were walking, they noticed a person lying on the banks. Quickly running up to the body, they noticed that it was actually Rikku who was laying there.

"You're.. not dead?" said Tidus, making Max slap him on the head.

"Seriously, the person who saves us washes up and that's the first thing on your mind?" said Max.

Rikku suddenly stood up before unclasping her shoulder pads. The boys were confused until she started to pull on the zipper at her back.

'Is she undressing!?' thought both of them. They started to panic until they saw that she was wearing an orange tank top underneath the wetsuit and relaxed. She wore short green pants and had blue streamers attached to her shirt on the back. She took off her goggles and helmet, showing all of her face and hair for the first time to them.

"Ah! I thought I was done for, back there," she said as she collapsed back to the ground. Her goggles were hanging around her neck.

"Rikku! You're Rikku! Hey! You're okay! How you been?" asked Tidus.  
"Terrible!" she muttered.  
"Yeah, you don't look so good. What happened?" asked Max.  
"You guys beat me up, remember?" she said accusingly.  
"Oh! That machina… That was you?" said Tidus.  
"Mm-hm. That really hurt, you know. You big meanies!" said Rikku as she started to cry a bit.  
"Well you did attack us," said Max.  
"Nuh-uh. It's not exactly what you think," said Rikku.

"By the way, still got my baton?" asked Max. Before she could respond, a voice rang out.

"Yo! Friend of yours?" asked Wakka as he walked up with Yuna and the rest of the party behind him.

"Something like that," said Max.

"Pleased to meet you! I'm Rikku!" she said without any hesitation.

"Yuna, Lulu…I told you about her, remember?" said Tidus, "She was the one who helped us before we were washed up on Besaid! She's an Al Bhe…beh… _"_ his voice trailed off. He just remembered that Wakka hated Al Bheds, and if he knew, he would instantly hate her. It just didn't seem fair to be judged for their looks.  
Yuna and Lulu suddenly understood what Tidus was trying to say.  
"Wow, so you two, like, owe her your life! What luck meeting here, ya? Praise be to Yevon!" said Wakka as he did the Yevon prayer. Rikku scratched her cheek dubiously at that. Luckily, Wakka didn't notice that.  
"So, uh… Rikku… You look a little beat up! You okay?" Wakka asked, not knowing he was one of the causes for it.  
"Uh, Wakka…" said Lulu. Wakka turned around, confused.  
"There's something _we_ need to discuss," said Yuna.

"Oh, go ahead.," said Wakka, not understanding why they couldn't just say it out loud.

"Girls only! Boys, please wait over there!" said Rikku. "Right. Sorry, Wakka," said Lulu. Wakka was just confused at this sudden arrangement. Let it be known that he was not the brightest sometimes.

* * *

Lulu, Rikku, Yuna, and Paine stepped away to talk. Rikku seemed to be explaining to them about something. After their chat was over, Yuna walked over to Auron.

"Sir Auron…I would like Rikku to be my guardian," she said firmly. Auron looked at Yuna for a second before striding over to Rikku.

"Show me your face. Look at me," he commanded.

"Oh, okay," she acknowledged but had her eyes closed. Auron merely coughed before Rikku was willing to open her eyes to let him show that her eyes were green with a dark swirl, showing the mark of an Al Bhed. Max wondered how Wakka hated Al Bheds but didn't even know how to identify one. He concluded that most of the Al Bhed had their eyes covered to hide such a mark, so it wasn't popularly known.

"As I thought," he murmured.

"Um… No good?" Rikku asked nervously. Auron continued his sentence, though, "Are you certain?"

"A hundred percent! So, anyway… Can I?" Rikku said.

"If Yuna wishes it," said Auron. Yuna nodded in confirmation.

"Rikku's a good girl. She helped us a bunch!" said Tidus, trying to give her some recommendation. Max quickly added his own comments.

"I'm for it! The more, the merrier!" said Wakka.

"Righto! Then I'll just have to be the merriest!" said Rikku, happy to join.

* * *

As they all walked towards their next destination, Rikku ran up next to Max.

"I still have your item, but ever since you gave it to us, it stopped working. What did you do to it?" Rikku asked, pouting at the lost chance of using the item. She didn't dare disassemble it due to the fear of losing the chance of making the item work forever. A fiend came charging by missing them all. Rikku grabbed a few items from her pouch before putting them together and shaking it. She threw at the fiend, which promptly exploded. Max and Tidus thought that it was a grenade when it exploded again... and again.. and again at least five times. The fiend burst into pyreflies after taking in so much damage.

"Wh-what did you just do!?" exclaimed Wakka.

"I can combine items and use them like this. It's not that tough, really," replied Rikku. Most of them were still surprised except those of stoic faces. Max was impressed and already thinking of how he could use her expertise on his items. It also didn't hurt that she was kinda cute.. wait, WHAT?

Max shook his head at that thought process. Curse his own hormones for locking onto her. Yuna was claimed, Lulu was slightly claimed, and he didn't really have anything on Paine except the fact she was Auron's niece and her attitude wasn't much to his liking. Max decided to bury that particular feeling for a bit. The only upside was that he wasn't dating, so it wouldn't be cheating.

* * *

They continued forward, down the path and finally arrived at a strange town. The town seemed to be intertwined into the caves and trees. As soon as they entered, a stuffy looking Guado walked up to Yuna.

"We have been expecting you, Lady Yuna. Welcome to Guadosalam. This way, my lady. This way," he said, trying to pull Yuna with her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" said Wakka as he intercepted the Guado's hand.  
"Oh, I beg your pardon. I'm called Tromell Guado. I am in the direct service of our leader, the great Seymour Guado. Lord Seymour has very important business with Lady Yuna," said Tromell as he introduced himself. His tone made it seem like he didn't like being stopped from being able to complete the given task.  
"Business with me? Whatever could it be, I wonder?" said Yuna.  
"Please, come inside the manor. All will be explained," said Tromell. He turned to the guardians, giving them a quick scan. "Of course, your friends are also welcome," he stated, though Max and Tidus felt like Seymour wanted to be with Yuna alone. Not like they would comply with that. Tromell guided Yuna and the rest of the party to the manor.  
"Twist our arms why don't ya!" muttered Rikku. Tidus could only agree as they decided to follow. Max purposely hung in the back with Rikku.

"Rikku, do you still have my item?" Max asked. Rikku nodded and passed him his sheath that they had confiscated. Taking a quick look at it, Max was relieved they didn't try to do anything drastic to it before unlocking the weapon with his fingerprint, making sure Rikku didn't see what he was doing. Max swung the sheath, allowing it expand again into a stun baton. Looking over Rikku, he saw that she didn't really have any weapons except for the claws she had. Frowning, he made a decision.

"Rikku, you can use this weapon for a while. It'll probably be better than your claws," said Max as he passed the baton back to Rikku.

"Really? How do you use it? Can you make more? How did you make it work again? I want to-" Rikku started to babble again until Max just held his finger onto Rikku's lips.

"It would be best not to be so loud or let Wakka know of this. He hates Al Bhed, though I'm surprised he hasn't caught on that you're one."

Rikku blushed and nodded. It was then that Max noticed that he had put his finger on her lips and blushed while quickly withdrawing the finger. He quickly walked forward to catch up with everyone. He saw Tidus smirk and knew Tidus wouldn't leave him alone now. Groaning, he prepared for the worst.

* * *

They entered the manor with Tidus teasing Max. Max's eyebrow was now twitching rampantly in annoyance until they both agreed to stop for a bit. There was lead past the entrance hall into a room, where there was a feast waiting for them.

"I will go inform Lord Seymour. Please wait here," said Tromell as he left. After he left, They all just decided to wait for a bit. Everyone except Rikku, who promptly started eating. Max stared at it before grabbing an apple to eat a little. He went over to Kimahri, figuring he never really spent time getting to know him.

"So, what's this person want with Yuna?" Max asked. Kimahri didn't speak for a little until he sighed.

"Kimahri not sure. But Kimahri not like Maestor Seymour," he replied.

"I get you, man. He gives me a bad vibe, too. What's with Seymour, though. He doesn't seem to be like all the other Guados," Max asked. Lulu decided to answer that.

"Seymour's mother was a human. Seymour is the child of a Guado and a human," said Lulu. Max nodded.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tidus was next to Auron and Paine.

"Stay on your guard," he warned them.  
"Why? This guy's just a priest, right?" said Tidus.  
"Those with power use that power. Maesters have power," said Auron.

"Yea, like Wen Kinoc. Sends us on a suicide mission, and tries to execute us for living," commented Paine.  
"Wait… You sure you don't have something against Yevon?" said Tidus to Auron, understanding why Paine didn't like Yevon.  
Auron just chuckled darkly, "I lived a long time in Zanarkand." Tidus just nodded at that and left them, letting Paine ask a few personal questions on Auron.

Tidus approached Lulu, who automatically started explaining the city of Guadosalam. He chuckled, causing Lulu to raise an eyebrow on that.  
"I didn't even ask a question and you're explaining things," explained Tidus.  
Lulu huffed, "You'd rather I say nothing, then?"  
Tidus shook his hands and waved his arms, "No, no! Maybe you finally believe I don't know anything about Spira. And maybe that means you believe me about Zanarkand, too?"  
Lulu paused for a moment there, gathering her thoughts. "Well… There are many things I do not know. Your Zanarkand is one of those things. I suppose I can't say what I think either way. Still, be careful. You shouldn't tell other people." Tidus nodded at that.

* * *

Soon, Tromell finally returned, "Truly, it is good to have guests again. Since Lord Jyscal passed away, these halls have been too quiet."

"The death of Lord Jyscal was a great loss for all of Spira," replied Yuna. Tidus had to ask Wakka who Jyscal was, while Max was listening in on it.

"Truly, a loss for us all. But now a new leader, Lord Seymour, has come before us. Lord Seymour is the child of a Guado and a human. He will be the tie that binds our two races together. But that is not all, I think. Lord Seymour" praised Tromell as he started to spread his arms, "He will surely become the shining star that lights the way for all the peoples of Spira."

"That is enough, Tromell. Must I always endure such praise?" said Seymour as he entered the room. He turned around and bowed to them. "Welcome!"

"You…wanted to see me?" asked Yuna hesitantly.

"Please, make yourselves at home. There's no rush," said Seymour warmly.

"Please, keep this short. Yuna must rush," Auron replied bluntly

"Pardon me. It has been a long time since I had guests," apologized Seymour, "Lady Yuna, this way." He pointed to the dais behind him.

While she was about to step forward, Max quickly whispered to Tidus, "Stay near her. I don't trust Seymour at all." Tidus nodded and decided to stand next to Yuna. She was surprised but relaxed as she felt him near her. Max took the chance to look at Seymour and saw bits of anger float through his eyes. The room went dark as soon as they all stood on it. Soon, beneath them, a deep blue light spread across the room. Max instantly noted that this was a hologram machine and was impressed. The rest of the party was enjoying the view of what seemed to be the galaxy.

* * *

"This sphere is a reconstruction created from the thoughts of the dead that wander the Farplane," explained Seymour.

Soon, the view changed that made both Max's and Tidus's heart leap. The view was a huge city on water. They would recognize this scene anywhere.  
"Zanarkand!" Max and Tidus exclaimed.  
"Correct. Zanarkand…as it looked one thousand years ago. The great and wondrous machina city, Zanarkand," said Seymour. "She once lived in this metropolis," he added mysteriously. Auron snorted at this.

The two Zanarkand natives felt their heart ache. Their home was so close, and yet so far away. They both shook their heads out of this reverie. Spira was their world right now. It didn't mean they wouldn't try to find a way back, though. Wakka was amazed at the city, while Rikku was jumping with joy. Lulu watched with interest, while Kimahri and Auron just remained stoic. Surprisingly, Paine was also admiring the view.

The scene suddenly changed into an ornate chamber, where a scantily clothed silver-haired woman was sitting on the bed, her hands in her lap.

"Lady Yunalesca!" Yuna exclaimed.

"She was the first person to defeat Sin and save the world from its ravages. And you have inherited her name," said Seymour. Max snorted. Seymour was definitely trying to be suave and muscle his way in a relationship. Too bad Max had already planned for Tidus to be with her and started to make plans.

"It was my father who named me," replied Yuna.

"Lord Braska was entrusting you with a great task. He wanted you to face Sin, as Lady Yunalesca did. However, Lady Yunalesca did not save the world alone. To defeat the undefeatable Sin…it took an unbreakable bond of love– of the kind that binds two hearts for eternity," said Seymour.

* * *

Everyone watched as a well-armored man enter the room, walking right through Yuna and embracing Yunalesca. As everyone was watching this scene, Seymour made his move. He bent down and whispered something to Yuna right as the scene ended. Yuna hurried off the dais and grabbed a cup of water, drinking it all in one gulp. As she turned around, she ran towards her group. Tidus, Rikku, Lulu, Wakka, and Max gathered around her, wondering what was wrong. She was blushing heavily.  
"Wow! Your face is beet red!" commented Rikku.  
"You okay?" asked Tidus.  
Yuna stuttered, "Mm…ahh… I… He…he asked me to marry him!"

Inside Max's mind, he was now considering how to kill Seymour without being framed. Was this bastard trying to get in the way of Tidus? 'Not on my watch buddy!' thought Max, 'It's obvious they like each other, and I'm gonna make sure you stay out!'

Tidus was running thoughts similar to Max before he decided to talk.  
"You serious?" said Tidus.

"You know what Yuna must do," said Auron sternly.  
"Of course. Lady Yuna–no, all summoners–are charged with bringing peace to Spira. But this means more than just defeating Sin. She must ease the suffering of all Spira. She must be a leader for the people. I proposed to Lady Yuna as a Maester of Yevon," explained Seymour.  
"Spira is no playhouse. A moment's diversion may amuse an audience, but it changes nothing," said Auron.  
"Even so, the actors must play their parts. There's no need to answer right away. Please, think it over." said Seymour charmingly.

Max was now really pissed. One thing that he was stubborn on was the fact the marriage should be out of love, not political bullshit. The fact that Seymour was trying to pull this was making Max think of breaking out his bow and shooting Seymour in the face.  
"We will do so, then. We leave," said Auron, leaving no room for argument.  
"Lady Yuna, I await your favorable reply," said Seymour.

'I got your reply right here!' though Max and Tidus. As they were about to leave, Seymour popped another question directly at Auron.  
"Why are you still here, sir?" Auron just paused for a bit. "I beg your pardon. We Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane."

Tidus was tempted to sniff Auron for a scent but thought better. Max had at least drilled him to respect the proper distance, and sniffing someone wasn't one.

* * *

They were all gathered outside the manor, near a fountain. Yuna was still recovering her wits from the sudden proposal.

"Yuna, the high summoner's daughter. Seymour, the leader of the Guado. Married in the name of Yevon, overcoming the barriers of race. It would give Spira something cheery to talk about, for a change," said Lulu. "Sounds just like a passin' daydream, like Auron says," commented Wakka.

"Come on, let's just get on with the pilgrimage! I mean, marriage?" said Tidus quickly.

"Hmmm. Jealous?" nudged Rikku. Tidus wanted to deny, but couldn't really do so. He was indeed jealous.

"He sure picked a fine time to lay this one on us," said Wakka.

"Maybe it is a fine time," said Yuna, looking up at them.

"You serious?" said Max and Tidus. "If my getting married would help Spira…if it would make people happy…If I could do that for people…maybe I should do what I can. I never imagined doing anything like this. But, I won't answer till I know what's right," said Yuna.

Max was trying to come arguments on why not to marry Seymour. The first reason was that he was a git. "Seriously?" asked Tidus, jealousy reaching into his tone.

"You could always just quit your pilgrimage and get married," said Rikku eagerly. "I will…go on. I'm sure that Lord Seymour will understand," said Yuna. "I am a summoner! I must fight and defeat Sin." "Like Braska before you," said Auron. Paine nodded from behind.

Tidus had to resist the urge to shout, 'WHY THINK ABOUT IT? JUST REJECT HIM!'

"I'm going to the Farplane. I'm going to see my father and think on this," said Yuna.  
"Go on, we'll be right behind you," said Lulu. They all walked towards some sort of huge dome that was the Farplane.

* * *

Tidus decided he needed to ask first, "Question! About this Farplane…When somebody dies, a summoner sends them to the Farplane, right? So their souls, or whatever they are, they go to the Farplane, right? But that's the Farplane we're going to, right? And Yuna's old man's there, too? Do dead people live there or something?" Instantly, both Max and Tidus had images of ghosts and shivered.

"You'll see once we get there," said Wakka.

They walked up the stair to the entrance when Tidus and Max noticed Auron stayed behind. The rest of them entered the Farplane. Tidus and Max pestered Auron on why he wasn't coming but ultimately were ignored. They were surprised the Rikku was also staying behind. Seeing there was nothing else to do, the duo entered the dome. They entered in to see a circular room, where people were gazing out into the mist. The mist parted slightly allowing Max and Tidus to drink in the view. A full moon hung in the twilight sky, and pyreflies danced around in a field of various multi-colored flowers what seemed to be a river. Tidus and Max looked around to see various members of their party looking at what seemed to be spirits of people. They saw Wakka talking to a spirit who seemed to be related to him.

* * *

"Yo, Chappu! Meant to come see you earlier, ya? Sorry! I know you won't hold it against me." Wakka bowed to the spirit. Max and Tidus took a good look and saw some similarities to Tidus. They understood now why Wakka and Lulu were shocked when they first saw Tidus.

"I gave up the game. I'm a guardian from here on, you know?" Wakka continued to talk to the spirit. "This guy–looks a lot like you–showed up. Traveling with him, I thought, maybe…you were still alive somewhere, ya? But, then again, here you are on the Farplane. Guess your place is here. So, how you been? Oh, that guy I just told you 'bout, I gave him your sword. He likes it."

Tidus moved his hand towards his sword. He felt thankful that Wakka entrusted such a precious sword to him. As if responding to his emotions, energy surged through the sword a bit, surprising Tidus. It felt lighter now and more durable. Meanwhile, Max had approached Lulu.

"He is dead, and I am still alive. Coming here really makes that clear. I should focus more on what I have to do now," said Lulu. Max raised his eyebrow on that.  
"You all right?" asked Max. Lulu laughed lightly before replying, "I'm not even sure what I'm saying."  
"I think it means your trying to move on with your life. I'm sure Chappu was great, but he wouldn't want you to always think of the past. There are others who can fill that void," said Max after thinking about it.  
"Hmm… That's a possibility," said Lulu.  
"What about... Wakka?" said Max.  
"What, me? With Wakka?" said Lulu, surprised at that suggestion.  
"Yea. You two get along pretty, and I'm pretty sure you two care for each other. Plus, you both have connections to Chappu, so you two could live on in his name," said Max.

"No. Not even possible. We don't have that sort of feeling for each other," replied Lulu stubbornly. Max just coughed while saying locker rooms, causing her to blush.

"You know?" asked Lulu, mortified that he knew that they were in the locker rooms just admiring each other.

"Yuna told me you took quite awhile inside the locker rooms alone with Wakka. Just...think about it," said Max as he left.

Lulu gazed at the echo of Chappu one more time before whispering to herself, "Goodbye, Chappu. You always said I looked grumpy. But those were the happiest days of my life."

* * *

Tidus saw Paine looking at an image that seemed to be her mother, but decided not to risk interrupting her. Instead, he went to Yuna, who was gazing at her mother and father. Max quickly went over with him, wanting to convince Yuna what not to do.

"So…Yuna?" said Tidus, hesitantly.  
"I've decided." said Yuna firmly.  
"Oh? Really? That's good," said Tidus, dreading her answer.  
" I remember, when I was only seven years old, in Bevelle that day. My father had defeated Sin, and the whole town was out in the streets. Everyone was laughing. They all seemed so happy. If I defeated Sin, that would make everyone happy…wouldn't it?" They nodded in reply.  
"I must do what everyone wants, not just what I want," said Yuna.

"Soo you're going to say no, right?" asked Max. Yuna nodded. "Let's go back! You gotta tell Seymour," said Tidus, happy that Yuna was declining.

"Before we do anything, I just want to say something," said Max, putting his plan into action. "Look at your parents Yuna. A summoner and an Al Bhed, together. Most of Yevon would deem that as heresy, right?" Yuna nodded. "And yet they still went through it and had you. You may not remember, but did they seem happy together?" At this, Yuna thought for a bit before nodding again. "That's all I wanted to say for now. We should probably head back now."  
"Before that… Call Sir Jecht. Give it a try," said Yuna eagerly to Tidus. Tidus was surprised at this request. "Don't worry. He won't come," said Yuna.

Tidus was trying his hardest not to think of him, but of course, it just made him recall him even more. "See, told you!" said Yuna, seeing no echo of Jecht. Max and Tidus sighed. It was true he wasn't dead, but that was because He's Sin now. "That means he's alive, you know?" said Yuna, seeing them frown. Tidus couldn't help think, if Jecht was Sin, how would he tell everyone. Well, it wasn't his responsibility, to be honest.  
"I'd rather never see him again," said Tidus, irritated.  
Yuna was surprised at this response, "What makes you hate him so?"  
Tidus scoffed, "Everything he does just makes me mad. It was his fault that me and my mother…" he trailed off when an image of a woman suddenly appeared. _"_ Ah… Mom?"

Yuna gasped in surprise while Max was shocked. He didn't expect anyone from what people claimed was false to be here.

"I-It's her!" gasped Tidus. Yuna nodded, happy to see a relative of Tidus.

"She's very pretty," Yuna complimented.

"But… Wait. No one ever performed the sending for her," said Tidus.

"True, but we don't really have many fiends at our place, either Tidus," said Max. "I don't think we ever had sendings before."

"She must've accepted death while she was still alive," explained Yuna.

"That.. would make sense. Sending is for those who haven't accepted the fact death comes to everyone and have died, right?" asked Max.

Yuna confirmed his answer. Tidus continued to stare at the echo of her mother before suddenly having a revelation.

"Ah. I think I just figured something out," said Tidus.

"What?" asked Yuna.

"Why I hate my old man," replied Tidus, remembering his past. Before he had met Max, he recalled being very lonely. Every time he wanted his mom to help him with something, or even yearned for attention, she ultimately ignored him for Jecht. It soon became envy, and with envy came resentment. When Jecht had disappeared, his mom seemed to just have given up in life. Most likely she accepted death in hopes she could reunite with him in the afterlife. Yet in reality, anytime Tidus wanted his mom, it was always his old man that told her to go to him. After explaining it to them, he scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, man… I must sound so stupid," said Tidus. Yuna shook her head in denial, "I don't think so."

"Ditto," said Max.

"What about you, Max? Why don't you think of your parents?" asked Yuna. Max grimaced and looked away at that question. Tidus was the one who had to answer for him.

"Max... doesn't remember his parents. He was found in front of the orphanage one day, and so can't really recall what his parents even look like. There was merely a note apologizing for the inconvenience and something about not being able to take care of him due to their jobs."

Yuna was horrified and immediately apologized to Max, who just waved it off, "You didn't know."

"Hey! I wonder if we can see Lenne and Shuyin," said Max. Soon as he said that they appeared in front of them, smiling. "Well, that answers that question. They look happy together."

Yuna and Tidus stared at that image. They both remembered the advice the ghosts gave to them before disappearing. Tidus and Yuna wanted to act on that advice, but before they could, Lulu and Wakka came up to them.

"Well? Need some more time?" asked Wakka.

Yuna shook her head and they all proceeded to exit the Farplane. Max took one last glance at Shuyin and Lenne to see them smiling still. Before they disappeared, they winked, causing Max to stumble a bit. He regained balance and manage to play it off as just clumsiness. He felt like it was a sign that Yuna and Tidus really did belong together.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. No epic fights, sorry. Next up, Thunder Plains. Reviews are appreciated!**


	26. Chapter 25 Plans and Secrets

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFX**

 **Woot, 39 Favorites and 47 Follows. Its getting there. Got quite a bit reviews, yaa! Enough talk on to the story!**

* * *

They all met with Auron and Rikku outside the dome.

"Thanks for waiting! I'll go give my answer to Maester Seymour," said Yuna. Suddenly, the Guado near the area gasped. They looked back at the Farplane to see a robed Guado elder trying to come out. He looked like a spirit that was trying to escape. Shouts of Lord Jyscal could be heard from all the Guado. Everyone was panicking for a bit when Auron took command.  
"He does not belong here. Yuna, send him."

Yuna nodded and climbed up the stairs again. Everyone was watching her that they failed to notice Auron started to twitch and collapsed in pain. Yuna hesitated for a bit, but Lulu told her to send him immediately. Following her order, she sent him away, but not before a sphere dropped. Yuna quickly took it and discreetly hid it from everyone. After she sent him, everyone quickly hurried out of the Farplane.

"Wha…what was that just now? That really Lord Jyscal?" asked Wakka in disbelief.

Max and Tidus decided since this was out of their area to just remain silent. Yuna commented about how it was impossible to not send him when he died, and Lulu replied with a theory that left chills. Auron summarized it as that Jyscal's death was not as peaceful as everyone though. They quickly arrived at Seymour's mansion, where Yuna entered in. Max wanted to have someone go in with her at least, preferably Tidus, but Yuna insisted it was all right.

As she entered, Auron quickly shouted out, "Yuna! Jyscal is the Guado's problem, not yours." She paused for a second before entering the mansion. It seemed like that advice was ignored.

* * *

They waited for a bit and talked. Lulu and Max were arguing about marriage while Tidus and Rikku decided to talk about what Yuna would do. They finished their conversations, and Tidus decided to explore the village a bit more. Max went to see O'aka to purchase some more items. While Tidus was walking, he encountered Shelinda.

"My… Was the lady summoner not with you?" asked Shelinda.

"No. She's at Seymour's place," replied Tidus.

"That's 'Maester Seymour.' Or 'Lord Seymour.'" Shelinda lectured. Tidus sighed. He really didn't like Seymour and didn't want to call him by those titles, but he supposed he had to follow the culture.

"Oh! Maester Seymour left Guadosalam a short while ago," recalled Shelinda. "I believe he went to the temple in Macalania. Maester Seymour is also the high priest of that temple."

"Whoa, I gotta tell the others!" shouted Tidus, thanking Shelinda before running off back to the mansion. They quickly entered and found Yuna looking at the portrait of Jyscal and left Guadosalam.

Right as the left the village, Rikku was cowering in front of them. "Oh, no…We're here." Lightning flashed before their eyes and Rikku yelped, curling up into a ball. Paine scoffed at Rikku's cowardice.  
"How are we supposed to cross that?" asked Tidus.  
"See the lightning rod towers? The lightning is drawn to them…hopefully," replied Lulu.

"Hopefully? You mean it's not fully operational?" said Max.

"We head north, not too near and not too far from the towers, ya?" said Wakka, ignoring Max for the moment. Rikku was finally getting out her ball when another crack of lightning came. "I think I forgot something in Guadosalam!" she yelped.

"Nice knowing you," Auron said heartlessly.

"See you later," Paine added as she walked forward.

"Okay, okay! I'll go!" Rikku grumbled.

* * *

They traveled forward, trying to stay near the towers. Once in a while, lightning would strike near them, but amazingly, they were all diverted to somewhere else. What the party didn't know was that Max had an item out hidden in his hand. He knew how lightning worked and had built a laser pointer. He made the areas he pointed a localized spot full of electrons, making the lightning strike that spot. They met up with Shelinda, who was already congratulating Yuna on a happy marriage. Feeling sore, Tidus denied such a thing while asking who was spreading the rumor. When Max heard it was the Guado, he scoffed. As soon as she left, Max commented, "Typical. Spread rumors before it's even true to force Yuna into it."

"How?" asked Wakka. Paine, Rikku, and Lulu also seem interested at this.

"Easy. Seymour's a Maester. They spread the word that Yuna accepted before she even has the chance to say it forces Yuna to succumb to the pressure. Even if she doesn't, the role of the antagonist can be easily portrayed as her for not holding onto a promise or making a false one. Since Seymour's such a 'great' guy, they'll think he was the victim even though he was the one who sprung the proposal without having an answer." said Max. Everyone looked a bit worry about this.

"Relax. If Yuna defeats Sin, this'll blow over in no time," said Max. The others didn't seem to be calmed down by this, which confused Tidus and Max.

'What are we missing?' the native Zanarkand people thought.

* * *

They traveled further up the road closing in on an inn when lightning struck one of the towers again.

"Whoa-ho-ho! That was a close one!" laughed Wakka.

"Stop kidding around," ordered Lulu.

"Yes ma'am…" said Wakka, looking like a kicked puppy.

Rikku then started to laugh creepily, causing everyone to turn around to look at her in concern. She didn't stop laughing. Suddenly, lightning struck again, and Rikku dropped down to the floor in fright. Everyone was still confused when she skittered right into Max's leg and grabbed hold of it like a predator pouncing on its prey. "I wanna go home! I hate lightning! I hate thunder! Let's go rest over there! Please?" Rikku whined. Max shook his head. 'And she wants to learn more about machina. Half the machines run on a form of electricity.'

"This storm never stops. Better to cross quickly," said Auron.

"I know, but…Just for a little while?" she whined. When they reached the inn, instead of stopping, everyone continued forward except for Rikku, Tidus, and Max. Rikku kept complaining and whining even more as they were walking away. Tidus could see lip twitches that threatened to become smiles on everybody's faces as they continued to ignore Rikku. Finally, they decided that her whining was worse than the storm and went inside the inn.

As soon as they entered the inn, Yuna automatically requested a room for herself and went in. This was quite out of character for Yuna to do so, so everyone was a bit worried. Max decided to try to help Rikku get over her phobia first.

"Are you that scared of lightning?" Max asked. Rikku nodded, "Mm-hm. When I was little, a fiend attacked me while I was swimming at the beach. My brother tried to beat it back with a spell," she squeaked when another thunderclap game, "But he missed and hit me instead! It was a Thunder spell. I've been scared of lightning ever since."

Max winced. That was definitely one way to gain a phobia. He'd have to reveal one of his secrets to find a way to have her overcome it, but decided it was worth it. Tidus already revealed to Yuna about their Zanarkand a bit already, so it couldn't hurt to let Rikku know, too.

The door opened, and Rin entered through the door. "Nice to see you again. Welcome to the Rin Travel Agency." He noticed Rikku in the crowd and was about to say something when he saw Rikku waving her hands, telling him to be silent. Complying, he turned over to Max and Tidus.

"How goes your study of our language?" asked Rin. Tidus shrugged as he only skimmed through the book a bit.

" _ **Hud pyt,**_ " said Max, " _ **Cdemm ma-may-**_ dangit. Still learning"

"Quite impressive, still,"said Rin, his eyebrows raised. He looked around his shop before noticing Auron.

"Would that be Sir Auron, by any chance?" he asked. They nodded. Rin decided to go talk to Auron for a bit. Before leaving, he mentioned that all the Guado was still spreading the rumors of marriage. Feeling a bit tired, Max and Tidus decided to retire to their room for a bit. While they walked down the hall, they suddenly heard a man's voice through a door. They would have ignored it except that it was Yuna's room, and there wasn't suppose to be anyone else in it. Tidus quickly pushed the door open, fearing the worst. He stumbled into the room, seeing nobody but Yuna and.. a figure of Jyscal on a memory sphere? Yuna quickly closed it, but not before Max had flicked a tiny item onto the sphere. Yuna didn't notice it.

"Yes?" she asked.

Tidus stuttered, not knowing what to say. "I…well… It's nothing, really. I…I just, uh… I'm sorry… I shouldn't have come in." He turned around before remembering the Guado on the sphere, "H-Hey! Wasn't that Jyscal Guado guy?" "Oh!" Yuna blushed and nodded. "Ah… The sphere is his will… It says, 'Take care of my son.'"

"His son. Seymour?" asked Max. Yuna nodded.

"Well, I know one way to take care of him," grunted Tidus. He really did not like him, and Max couldn't fault him for it.

"I'm sorry," said Yuna before fleeing. As she ran, Max swore he could see specks of tears in her eyes. Confused, Tidus edged closer to the sphere before Wakka popped up from behind them and grabbed Tidus in a headlock. He didn't try it on Max on the basis he was afraid Max would over react and perform the Nutcracker on him.

"What do you think you two are up to?" said Wakka as he was punishing Tidus.

Tidus gagged as he struggled for breath, "Yuna…Yuna was acting funny, s-so…"  
"Yeah, yeah!" interrupted Wakka, not letting Tidus finish, "She'll tell us when she's ready, so hold your chocobos till then, ya?"

"Sorry, Wakka. We thought we heard something weird and rushed in," said Max. Wakka grunted before finally letting Tidus go. They all decided to retire to their rooms for the night.

* * *

 _In the middle of the night_

Rikku couldn't really sleep all that well. All those lightning strikes frightened her too much. She got up and left the room, hoping to find some sleeping agent to knock her asleep. She ran right into Max.

"Perfect. Just the person I wanted to see. Follow me!" said Max, dragging her out of the inn. She struggled quite violently.

"Let me go! I don't wanna be near lightning!" she cried.

"This is for your own good. Plus, if you get over it, I'll tell you how I made the baton," replied Max. Rikku stopped struggling, contemplating on this bargain. She didn't even notice she was outside until lightning struck again. Before she could curl up into a ball, Max hugged her from behind.

"What are you doing?" asked Rikku, blushing at being hugged.

"Shh. Just listen to me and watch, alright?" said Max. Rikku nodded, feeling a bit better that someone was holding her in this storm. It felt warm and comforting.

"Lightning," began Max, "It's a very destructive element, indeed. It can be used in attacks, and it hurts a lot. Prime examples could be the machina from Operation Mi'ihen, or my baton. And yet, in this destructive nature, mankind can learn from it and harness it for their own benefits. The little machina machines that was used for to delay us in Luca? It uses lightning. The machine you drove? Also uses some form of lightning. It is energy that we use to harnass, and how it can be formed. Look up into the skies, Rikku. Even with all this thunderstorm, does it not hypnotize you to see all these lightning strikes hit the tower. Focus with your eyes only. Ignore the sound of it. Cover your ears and see with your eyes only, and you may discover something you never knew."

Still afraid, Rikku reluctantly complied. She covered her ears, closed her eyes for a bit, before looking up towards the tower. When lightning struck it, she didn't feel afraid. Rather, she was amazed how lightning seemed to be drawn to the tower, how it struck the ground every now and then. Multitudes of lightning descended, and yet in its fearful nature, it was also beautiful.

"I'll give you a hint," said Max, "A lot of equipment from my Zanarkand uses lightning as electricity on almost everything. Lights, machines, even bliztball stadium. It really is a marvelous element, capable of powering so many things. Don't be afraid of it. Otherwise, you'll never be able to figure out half the ancient machina out there." He let go of Rikku, heading back into the inn. Rikku stood outside for a little before deciding to turn in. She found some earplugs and managed to sleep through the lightning strikes peacefully.

* * *

The next morning, everyone rose from bed early. Everybody except Max had expected Rikku to try to delay but were surprised when she didn't seem disturbed by the lightning strikes anymore.

"You did something, didn't you?" whispered Tidus to Max. He got a grin in return. They all left the inn and continued forward, fighting off a few fiends. They met a cactuar, though, and all scrambled to get away from the feisty little target. They had to heal from all the spines it kept shooting at them. It was at this point Yuna decided to make an announcement while they were all under a structure recovering from the cactuar attack.  
"I've decided to marry," announced Yuna. Her voice certainly didn't sound happy at that.  
Lulu shook her head, "I thought so."  
"B-But why? Why'd you change your mind?" asked Wakka, not believing her choice.  
"For Spira's future…and Yevon's unity. I thought it would be the best thing to do," she replied

Before Auron could say anything, a voice rang out, "Sorry, but that's complete bullshit."

Everyone turned around to see Max. His face didn't seem to carry a happy or calm visage anymore. Instead, on it was just pure fury.

"It's about what Jyscal said on that sphere, isn't it?" said Max.

Yuna was shocked that someone had actually listened to the sphere. On another thought, maybe she should have taken it with her instead of leaving it in her room when she ran away from them that night.

Auron interrupted, "As long as she continues her pilgrimage, nothing else matters. That is a summoner's privilege. We as guardians cannot question her judgment on this."

"Forgive me if I don't feel like I'm doing my job if she's marrying a murdering psychopath then," snarled Max.

"Wait, what?" asked Paine.

"Max, No!" exclaimed Yuna. Max turned to look at her and sighed.

"Fine, nobody else knows except for you and me. But in all reality, can't you just talk to him? If you do marry him, then I'm going to be forced to intervene for your safety. Plus, will you really ignore what your 'other' self-advised? Will you ignore what your own parents did? Will you forego your own feelings just for others a measly passing of happiness for others? Marriage is something sacred among others, and to sully it with a political marriage with someone insane as Seymour spits on it." interrogated Max.

Yuna remained silent, conflicted about this. It was obvious to Max that Yuna was growing closer and closer to Tidus, and the same was for him. Max was not about to let some psychopath get in between that, even if it meant killing that person named Seymour. Screw the fact he was a maester, or the bridge between Guado and man.

Eventually, she gave an answer.

"I must speak with Maester Seymour," said Yuna.

"Anddd?" demanded Max.

"I've changed my mind. I won't consider marriage yet. But I must speak with him alone," she replied. Everyone gave a sigh of relief they all didn't know they were holding. Tidus was ecstatic in his own mind as he tried his best not to show it.

"Alright, then. Just be careful, Yuna. I'd prefer if you had at least someone with you." said Max.

"I'll go with her," said Paine, shocking everyone. Yuna tried to reply, but Paine continued.

"I need to speak with him anyways about our mission from the Den of Woes. He is a maester, still."

Everyone discussed about it and nodded. Having someone with Yuna would be best, and Paine could fill that role easily without dismissing any Guado cultures by speaking as a Yevon soldier.

"Alright, that's done. Next, we're going to Malacania Temple. Yuna can talk to Seymour there with Paine. We guardians will wait until they're done, and plan our next move. Understood?" said Auron, causing everyone to nod. They continued to walk forward, trying to get out of the plains as fast as possible.

* * *

Tidus walked next to Max, muttering thanks to him. Max merely smiled. They soon arrived at out of the plains and into Macalania Woods. Max, Tidus, and Auron were trailing behind the group, covering their backs.

"You're worried about Yuna," said Auron.  
"Course I'm worried about her. What is she thinking?" asked Tidus. "If it wasn't Max, she'd be set on her path to marrying someone who Max knows is a killer. And Max won't tell us what he did!"

Max sighed, "Yuna directly forbade me from telling anyone. She agreed to have Paine accompany her at least. Plus, we won't be too far behind. I placed a tracer on her without noticing."  
"The simplest answer would have been…in exchange for agreeing to marry him…she hopes to negotiate with Seymour. She wants it this way," replied Auron.

Tidus could only raise his hands to his hair and ruffled his hair hard in frustration, "Argh! I just don't get it! Doesn't she trust us?"

On the contrary… She doesn't want us caught up in whatever it is that she's planning," replied Auron.  
"Yeah, that's what I thought. But that makes me worry even more. She could just tell us," said Tidus. "It's just how she is, man," said Max, "She's naive, serious to a fault, and doesn't ask for help. Something you like about her." Tidus blushed slightly at that but didn't deny it.  
"Yuna's easy to read," said Auron. Both boys snorted and couldn't deny that Yuna wouldn't be able to play her way through poker night. "But hard to guard. Stand by her, always." They both nodded and raced to catch up.

They met with Lucil and Elma, who were congratulating Yuna on her betrothal, only to be shot down by the news. They were depressed but got over it as soon as Max explained how the Guado were merely spreading rumors without a single basis. It never crossed the Guado's minds that Yuna would say no. They continued forward, killing a bit more fiends until they were an unusual sight.

Barthello was running around the woods without his summoner, yelling for Donna's name. When he ran into the group he asked them if they had seen Donna. He was in a panic that he didn't even flinch when he saw Max. His state of mind was on one track only, finding Donna. He relaxed slightly when Auron advised him to calm down and backtrack to where he had last seen Donna. Auron offered to help, but Barthello nobly refused, stating he couldn't waste their time before rushing off to retrace his steps. Rikku raised her hand, as if to tell him something, but stopped. Tidus asked what she wanted to do, but she merely replied that she wanted to say good luck with a thoughtful look. They walked until Auron stopped them.

"Wait... It is here somewhere," said Auron mysteriously.

"What's here?" asked Tidus.

"Something you should see," replied Auron before he started hacking through some fallen trees, opening up a road that thy would've missed if not for Auron.

As Auron lead them through the side road, they saw a pool of water laying in front of a large tree.

"This place... It's just water, isn't it?" asked Tidus.

"This is what spheres are made of. It absorbs and preserves people's memories," said Auron. Right as he said that, a giant spherical amoeba-like creature rose from the water. "Fiends are also attracted to this place," he finished.

The fight itself was bizarre. Physically attacking it did minimal damage to it, and casting magic seemed to heal it. It was thanks to Lulu that she found out how to counter it by casting the right spells whenever it changed its form. Thanks to the journey, she was able to cast Tier 2 black spells, such as _Fira_. Max was still struggling with the basics, and thus so far was only just able to cast the four elements. The party mainly protected Lulu and Max until the fiend finally died. As it slowly dissolved away, a memory sphere came out of it.

* * *

Wakka picked it up to examine before declaring, "Whoa, this is old! Don't know if you can play it back."

"Jecht left it here ten years ago," Auron announced, causing them all to gasp, before telling Tidus to play it. The images were a bit fuzzy, but they could obviously see Jecht with Braska and a much younger Auron. The sphere was originally for Jecht to take back, as he said in the beginning of the sphere. Different locations could be seen on their adventures, until finally, only Jecht was on screen at the same place they were.

"Hey. If you're sitting there, watching this…it means you're stuck in Spira, like me," said Jecht. They all knew that this was a final message that he was leaving for Tidus specifically. "You might not know when you'll get back home, but you better not be crying! Although, I guess I'd understand. But you know what? There's a time when you have to stop crying and move on. You'll be fine. Remember, you're my son. And… Well, uh… Never mind. I'm no good at these things." As he approached the sphere to close it, he gave one last closing statement that rang in Tidus's heart. "Anyways… I believe in you. Be good. Goodbye."

Tidus was a bit shocked. He knew his father pretty well, and for him to do such an act really meant a lot to him.

"He sounded almost serious, but it was too late," said Tidus cooly, trying to play it off. He was still having trouble believing his old man could be so serious.  
"He was serious. Jecht had already accepted his fate," replied Auron, blunt as usual.  
"His fate?" asked Max, tilting his head.  
Auron hesitated, glancing at everyone, before answering, "Jecht… He… He was always talking about going home, to Zanarkand. That's why he took all those pictures–to show them to you when he returned. But as he journeyed with us and came to understand Spira, and Braska's resolve… It happened gradually, but Jecht changed. He decided he would join Braska in his fight against Sin."  
"So then, he gave up going home?" asked Tidus, shocked at this decision. Auron nodded. Tidus took this time to contemplate about what Jecht did and why. Seeing that he was deep in his thoughts, everyone decided to head back to the main road, leaving Tidus alone in his thoughts. Only Max and Auron stayed.

"You alright, Tidus?" asked Max, concerned. Tidus shook out of his trance and nodded. As they left, Auron stopped them for a bit.

" Jecht loved you," said Auron. Tidus was about to retort when Max stopped him with an elbow, allowing Auron to continue. "He just didn't know how to express it, he said. I just thought you should know."

Tidus nodded at that, and Auron left to catch up to the party. As he turned around the bend, Tidus whispered "Thanks." He took one last look at the place, where Jecht had given his final speech for Tidus.

* * *

 **As you can see, having Paine and Max in the group has impacted on some of Yuna's decision. Couldn't resist writing in the Cactaur, though. That one has given me trouble when I first played the game.**


	27. Chapter 26 Secrets and Plans revealed!

**Disclaimer: Don't own FFX**

 **Dang, it's been about 4 months since I first started writing this story. Hope you guys enjoyed it so far.**

 **I now have 40 fav and 48 follows. But.. my favorite part is... I have over 9000 VIEWS! Yaa!**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

The party quickly made their way out of Macalania Woods after seeing the sphere. O'aka happened to be nearby to sell his wares and was promoting the upcoming marriage of Yuna and Seymour until Max took him out of sight for a bit. He later came back, apologizing to the group for following such a rumor without verifying the facts. They bought some more healing items, while Max restocked on his arrows. They arrived at Lake Macalania to see Tromell already waiting for them.

"Lady Yuna, we've been expecting you. We were surprised you decided to come so soon. Pleasantly surprised, of course. Lord Seymour sends his apologies for having left without notice," said Tromell as he bowed down.

"It's quite all right. I have one question, if I may, sir," asked Yuna.

Tromell was surprised, but allowed her to continue, "I want to keep journeying, even **if** I marry. Do you think that Maester Seymour would let me?"

"But of course, my lady. Lord Seymour wishes nothing else, I'm sure," replied Tromell. Before he could take her, Max intercepted first.

"My turn for a question. Why are all our people stating that Yuna and Seymour are to be wed even though Yuna hasn't even given a reply?" asked Max.

"Apologies. When our people heard that Lord Seymour had proposed to Yuna, they got a bit carried away. The rumors became distorted and instead of a proposal, it became marriage," replied Tromell, who didn't look sorry at all. 'Jerk,' thought Tidus. "Well… We must follow Guado tradition. I'll have to ask you wait here a little while longer. I'll send someone to escort you," explained Tromell, intent on having Yuna come alone.

"Hold up. I'm coming with Yuna," said Paine. Before Trowell could deny her, Paine continued, "I need to talk to Maestor Seymour as a Yevon warrior about a sensitive matter that can not be delayed." Tromell didn't look pleased with this statement, but couldn't find any way to deny her request. Yevon matters took precedent over Guada traditions."Very well, then. Come along, we can't delay Lord Seymour any longer," said Tromell.

As they were leaving, Yuna looked back at them one more time. Auron was about to say something when Max elbowed him a bit. He looked at Max, irritated until Max pointed out that Tidus should be the one saying it.

"Yuna. We're with you all the way. Remember, just whistle, and I'll come for you," said Tidus.  
"Yessir!" replied Yuna before walking away again. They didn't get far as they were suddenly surrounded by Al Bhed on snowmobiles.

"Al Bhed!" Wakka called out as they all ran forward to protect their summoner.

* * *

Auron stood in front of Tromell and Yuna, and said firmly, "Stand back." Tromell thanked him and was about to pull Yuna away from the fight when she yanked her hand out of his hand and ran back to help fight. The guardians were ready to fight when the Al Bhed suddenly scattered. A voice rang out calling for Rikku. Everyone turned around to the source of the voice to see another Al Bhed with a mohawk standing on top of a cliff. Max and Tidus recognized him from the boat when they had been rescued. Rikku had called him Brother. He talked in the Al Bhed language when a huge tank suddenly lumbered forward.

"Umm Rikku? Translation? I only got something about magic and sealed," asked Max.

"He's gonna use an anti-magic field on us!" shouted Rikku just as Brother commanded the tank forward to attack.

If it wasn't a life and death situation, Max would have loved to study and tear apart the tank to see what it had. However, with Wakka and Tromell watching, he couldn't risk it. He didn't like it, but the tank had to be destroyed. Perhaps when they weren't looking he could study it. The tank shot out a floating object that was in an orbital axis around the tank.

"Hit the Negator! It'll allow us to cast spells!" shouted Rikku.

Max and Wakka automatically complied. The Tank had guns inside and started to shoot them, causing them to scatter and dodge. Wakka hit the Negator one more time, causing it to collapse. "Lu! Cast your spells now!" shouted Wakka. Lulu nodded and cast _Thundara_ on the tank. The machina jerked from the damage before rushing towards Lulu intent on running her over. She dived out of the way, and before the tank could target her, Max shot an arrow with _Thunder_ on it. Soon, the tank started to charge a blue energy stream in its barrel when Max thought of something.

"Watch out for the Mana beam! It'll do a lot of damage," yelled Rikku. "Hit it with everything you got!"

'It charges magic? Not electricity or something else?' though Max.

Tidus quickly cast Haste on Lulu to allow her to cast spells faster before casting it on himself. Max peppered the tank with magic arrows, but was running low. Auron and Paine slashed at its wheels to force it to turn slowly. Wakka threw his ball anytime he could, Rikku hacked with her baton, and Kimahri jumped on its barrel to stab it. Yuna stayed behind to support them all. As the beam seemed to be fully charged, everyone prepared to defend themselves. Max decided to risk one last shot into the tank with _Thunder_. Suddenly, a Negator popped out to neutralize magic again. It unintentionally canceled out the mana beam.  
"They can't use magic either?" asked Tidus, surprised at this development.  
"Stupid machina! They sealed their magic away, too," scoffed Wakka.

'Most likely they didn't adjust the program for the machine correctly. Oh well,' thought Max as he pulled out another arrow to shoot at the Negator, putting it down for good. The tank was quickly destroyed when Yuna decided to end it.

"Everyone! I'm going to summon!" she yelled, causing everyone to quickly scramble back. She summoned Ixion and had the aeon use its overdrive, Thor's Hammer.

Ixion charged up a huge amount of electricity on its horn before firing it at the tank. The tank was surrounded by an electrical barrier that Ixion maintained with a constant feed. Slowly, but surely, the tank was lifted up into the air, where it hovered. Ixion channeled another surge of electricity into its horn before shooting it into the barrier, where it exploded. The tank was destroyed as soon as it landed.

* * *

"My lady!" called out Tromell, seeing the fight was done. He leads Yuna away with Paine following her.

"Rikku!" Everybody else turned to see Brother was calling out to Rikku. " _ **E femm damm Vydran!**_ _"_  
Seeing that Rikku had no other choice, she replied back in Al Bhed, " _ **E ys dra guardian uv Yuna, oui caa? Yuna ec cyva! Fa femm kiynt ran! Cra ec cyva!**_ _"_

Brother shook his head before answering, " _ **Oui tu drec ymuha, cecdan!**_ " and left.

Rikku turned around and saw Wakka glaring at her. She nervously laughed before saying, "I told him I was a guardian. Well, guess I had to, really."  
"How come you speak Al Bhed? Why?" interrogated Wakka, his tone confused.  
"Uh…well…" stammered Tidus.

"Does it matter? Let's just ge-," Max was interrupted by Rikku holding out her hand. She steeled herself before confessing, "Because I'm Al Bhed. And that…was my brother."

Wakka was startled by the news, before he glared at the others, "You knew?" Everyone nodded beside Kimahri and Auron, who didn't care about the conversation.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded ruthlessly.

"We knew you'd be upset," replied Lulu.

"This is great. I can't believe I've been traveling with an Al Bhed! A heathen!" snarled Wakka.

"You're wrong! We have nothing against Yevon," shouted Rikku.

"But you Al Bhed use the forbidden machina!" replied Wakka, "You know what that means? Sin was born because people used machina!"

Before Rikku could say something, Max interrupted. "Does it really matter she's an Al Bhed. You two got along well before knowing she was one, and she hasn't done anything against the teachings."

"But! The teachings sa-" stuttered Wakka.

"That's another point. How do you know Sin came from machina?" asked Max, driving it home.  
"It's in Yevon's teachings!" shouted Wakka as he folded his arms and glared at both of them. "Not that you'd know!"  
"That's not good enough! Yevon says this, Yevon says that. Can't you think for yourself?" screamed Rikku.  
"Well, then you tell me! Where did Sin come from, huh?" said Wakka. Rikku looked troubled at this until Max intervened once again.

"You said Sin came from machina, and that it's in the teachings. If it's in the teachings, then I didn't see it when I was scanning through its scriptures back in Besaid. Any chance you can show me where that _exact phrase_ is?"

* * *

At this, both Lulu and Wakka looked troubled at that question. Lulu looked thoughtful while Wakka was just lost before blatantly denying Max's statement, saying he didn't read it at all and was just saying stuff to throw them off.

Rikku continued that line of thought,"You shouldn't do whatever they say without thinking! Nothing will ever change that way!" Rikku looked like she was almost reaching her breaking point. 'Ah, individual thinkers. The bane of organizations,' thought Max.  
"Nothing has to change!" Wakka said fiercly while looking away.  
"You want Sin to keep coming back? There might be a way to stop it, you know!" Rikku demanded.  
"Sin will be gone once we atone for our past mistakes!" shouted Wakka.

"Exactly how does that work?" asked Max.  
"If we keep faith in Yevon's teachings it will be gone one day!" replied Wakka.

"That still doesn't explain everything Wakka. Even if you atone for 'past' mistakes, what about present ones?" said Max quietly. Wakka looked like he was losing it when Auron interrupted their debate. "Rikku!" Rikku turned around to Auron, who lifted a snowmobile to its upright position."Will this move?"

"Yes!" she replied, running over to fiddle with it.

Max sighed, wanting to see what he could do to improve the snowmobile, but knew that he had to keep his cover for now. He was thankful that Auron didn't call him over, as he knew Max could easily also fix it.

"We're not using that, are we? Wait… Sir Auron isn't an Al Bhed too, is he?" asked Wakka, now glaring at Auron.

"Come on, Wakka…" groaned Tidus. "I mean, getting angry just 'cause you found out Rikku's an Al Bhed… You guys got along just fine till now, didn't you? Like Max said earlier. Well, Max and I don't claim to know that much about Spira. And I probably know even less about the Al Bhed, but…I know Rikku's a good person. So does Max! She's just Rikku!"

"Lu?" Wakka asked Lulu, as if looking for an ally.

"Just think of this as an opportunity to learn more about the Al Bhed," remarked Lulu. Wakka muttered a few curse words before storming off to go after Yuna.

"Let him go. Give him time to think," advised Auron. Rikku apologized, but everyone waved it off, saying there was nothing to apologize for.

"All right! Let's ride!" shouted Tidus.

"You sure you know how to drive this?" teased Rikku. Kimahri drove off without waiting for them. "Better than Kimahri does!" replied Tidus confidently. Auron had already driven off to catch up to Kimahri, and probably snag Wakka to force him to come, saying it would be faster. There were two snowmobiles left. Lulu decided to ride with Tidus while Rikku with Max. Max insisted on driving, letting Rikku take the backseat.

* * *

Tidus and Max drove side by side to allow them all to talk. Lulu decided to start off first."I hope that you're all not too mad at Wakka," said Lulu.  
"Hey, not at all," replied Tidus. Max nodded in acknowledgment.

"He didn't have to be so mean, yeah? I almost cried," said Rikku. She snuggled into Max's back a bit closer after that confession.

"Don't worry about Wakka," said Max, "We're with you."  
Lulu gave a big sigh at that before thanking them before reminding them that the only reason for Wakka's intense hatred for Al Bhed was because of his brother, who died while wielding a machina weapon against Sin.

Tidus muttered quietly to himself, "Killed by my old man. Damn you, Jecht."

"What?" asked Lulu, who didn't hear what Tidus said.

"Oh, nothing!" replied Tidus. Quickly changing the subject, he decided to ask about Sin. "Hey… Can someone like a human become Sin ever?"

"I can't say that I know, but why?" replied Lulu. Rikku looked interested at this too. Tidus merely shrugged, saying it was a passing thought.

"Sin is the punishment for, and the incarnation of, crimes we have committed," said Lulu.

"Soo nobody even knows what it is?" asked Max.  
"There's no need to know, so no one asks. You run or you fight. That is really all you can do. There's no sense brooding over it," replied Lulu.  
"What, that's all? I mean, you don't even wonder?" asked Tidus.  
Lulu chuckled at this before replying, "You two really do come from a world where there is no Sin, like you two say."

Rikku was surprised at this news. "Really? So it's not Sin's toxin that's messing with them?"

Max and Tidus shrugged. They felt like their world was real, and even Jecht had come here. Based on that evidence, somewhere out there, was a way home.

* * *

Rikku decided to reveal to them that she was actually Yuna's cousin.

"Okay! I guess you're guarding your family, then," said Tidus.

Rikku's answer surprised them all, though, "Yuna's not the only one that I want to protect. We Al Bhed want to protect all of the summoners, you know? Summoners are… Well, you could say that… they sacrifice themselves to, well… to bring happiness to Spira."

"Sacrifice? What do you mean by that?" asked Max sternly. Rikku gave a glance at Lulu, who shook her head and motioned her to be silent about the subject. Neither Max nor Tidus noticed this silent conversation going on as they had to pay attention to the road.

"You know, the pilgrimage…It, uh, takes a lot out of you," said Rikku.

"Oh, right. But you know. Yuna's real serious about being a summoner. For Yuna, well the pilgrimage kinda means everything to her. You are going to help her, too, aren't you, Rikku?" said Tidus.

"Plus, we're gonna make sure we all go back home when this is done. Enjoy some R&R. Right?" said Max.

Lulu looked away, feeling guilty by the second at hiding a dark secret from them. Rikku wanted to tell them, but Lulu motioned for her to remain silent for a little longer, telling her she would explain why. "So you shouldn't say that Yuna's sacrificing herself," said Tidus, ending Max and Tidus's thoughts. Rikku suddenly hugged Max tighter than before, surprising him.

"Rikku?" Max asked. He was slightly embarrassed as he could feel her breasts pressing hard on his back, even if they were smaller than Lulu's or Yuna's.

"I hope you're right," murmured Rikku. They didn't talk anymore since they had just arrived at the door to Macalania Temple.

* * *

They walked through the door and saw an ice bridge leading to the temple itself. The sight was quite beautiful, although Max and Tidus wondered how far down the floor was. As they approached the temple, a monk stopped them.

"Halt! The likes of her are not welcome in this hallowed place," said the snooty monk.  
"She is a guardian," replied Auron. The monk was surprised, but his tone didn't change his disbelief, "An Al Bhed, a guardian? Preposterous!"

"First time for everything," replied Max.  
"I've decided to be Yuna's guardian now, and that's all I want," said Rikku.  
"And that's all one needs to be a guardian," finished Auron, leaving no room for argument. The monk was perhaps intimidated by Auron, the legendary guardian, and so decided to allow Rikku through. Any other person trying to convince him would have probably failed.

* * *

As they entered Macalania Temple and into the Great Hall, Shelinda ran up to confront Tidus and Max. They were quite surprised to see Paine in the hall too.  
"So Lady Yuna _is_ getting married. You shouldn't kid around about these things," said Shelinda in a scolding tone.

"Wait who said that?" questioned Max.

"Tromell personally confirmed it," said Shelinda.

"Well, he's lying," snarled Tidus. Shelinda seemed aghast at that and tried to deny it.

"But, he-"

"We're Yuna's guardians. She herself has told us she did not plan to marry. Unless she changed her mind during the trip, which is unlikely or was forced to, then she isn't getting married," answered Max in a flat tone. "Where is Yuna anyways?  
"I believe…Yuna has gone to the Cloister of Trials with Maester Seymour," replied Shelinda, still in a bit of a daze.

They heard Auron curse before heading towards the stairs, quickly followed by everyone else. Paine quickly explained to them that they had met with Maestor Seymour. He had requested Paine to be in a separate room to hold discussions after talking with Yuna. Paine complied but later regretted it. She wondered what was taking so long and walked out to see Seymour and Yuna gone. She asked around to find out that Seymour had taken Yuna into the Trials himself. She tried to get in but was promptly rejected. The monk still refused to let them in, stating they weren't with a summoner, even if she was inside. It was against the rules to barge in. Although it was also against the rules to have a summoner accompanied by somebody that wasn't her guardians, they still allowed Seymour and his men in with her.

"Pfft. They bend the rules for Maesters all the time to please them, don't they?" Tidus whispered to Max, who nodded. Max then saw Tromell, and was about to confront him about lying when a nun suddenly screamed inside a room. The nun ran out and collapsed on the floor, her face with a frighted look.

"Lord Jyscal! A sphere, in Lady Yuna's belongings…" she stuttered out.

* * *

'Crap, cat's out of the bag,' thought Max. Everyone in Yuna's guardian party quickly dashed to the nun's room, grabbing the sphere.

"This may well answer a few questions," said Auron. Tidus was about to play it when Max stopped him.

"No time. I'll give you the highlights of it since everyone's going to find out. Jyscal predicted he would be murdered by his son, Seymour. He's using every single resource he has to control everything. If not stopped, he'll bring destruction to Spira. Jyscal doesn't blame Seymour for his death, as he attributes that it's his fault that Seymour became this way, but wants someone to stop him. _"_

"Wonderful," said Auron sarcastically.  
"Will Yuna be all right?" asked Rikku, afraid for Yuna's life.  
"Without us, no," replied Auron, running out the room. Kimahri and Rikku followed and Max motioned Lulu and Wakka to follow.  
"Where you goin'?" asked Wakka, still in shock.  
"You heard Max, didn't you? Seymour's bad news!" said Tidus, irritated that Wakka was wasting time.

"But he's a maester!" Wakka stuttered. He didn't want to trust Max's words, but his gut was telling him it was the truth.

"Hmph. Fine! Stay here if you want!" shouted Tidus as he ran out the door.

"If you don't trust me, then listen to the damn sphere. Make yourself useful somehow," said Max as he followed Tidus.

Lulu walked up to Wakka, putting her hand on his shoulder, "Come on, Wakka. Let's at least hear him out."  
Wakka face-palmed before groaning and whining,"This can't be happening,"

The two nuns who had witnessed the sphere earlier were in denial, but they promised to keep the sphere safe.

Max quickly saw O'aka and ran to him, grabbing a few more supplies and more arrows, feeling like he would need it. He heard someone gasp, and a few seconds later was followed by a thump and a grunt. He turned around to see the monk that had been blocking the door to the Cloister of Trials was at the bottom of the steps. Kimahri had apparently lost his patience trying to convince the man and threw him out of the way. The man was cursing the Ronso, but made no move to attempt to stop anybody else from entering. They quickly entered the door to see a hallway of ice leading them to the next room. Kimahri and Rikku dashed ahead and entered the room. Tidus and Max nodded to Auron and ran after them. Wakka was slowly dragging his feet, unwilling to go against a maestor. Auron decided he needed to have Wakka make a choice now.

"We will protect Yuna from anyone. Even a maester," said Auron firmly. "This can't be happening," cried Wakka. He had been so devoted to Yevon's teaching, and now he had to go against a maester, a representative of his faith. Lulu walked forward next to Wakka, looking him straight in his eyes, "If he is truly at fault, it must be done."

* * *

They ran into the waiting room outside of the Chamber of Fayth, weapons ready to see Seymour standing in front of the inner door to the fayth with his bodyguards at the stairs. "Seymour!" Tidus shouted.

"Please be silent. Lady Yuna prays to the fayth," Seymour said in a condescending tone, not even turning around.

"Make me," replied Tidus.

Seymour turned around before walking down the stairs to meet them. He smirked at them while Tidus glared at him. He really hated Seymour more and more as time passed. Suddenly, the door opened, and Yuna stepped out.

"Yuna!" Tidus called out. Yuna was startled, seeing them all here before asking why.

"They saw Jyscal's sphere," replied Max.

"You killed him," Auron accused Seymour.

"What of it? Lady Yuna, certainly you know of these things, did you not?" Seymour asked Yuna as she quickly walked towards her guardians, Tidus in particular. She nodded in reply.

"Well then, why have you come here?" Seymour asked. Yuna hesitated for a moment before regaining her courage and answered, "I came… I came to stop you!"

"I see. You came to punish me, then," replied Seymour. He lifted his hand up, beckoning Yuna to come to him. Yuna immediately backed up further away from him.

"What a pity," said Seymour as he saw Yuna's answer.

He took a step forward, and immediately everyone surrounded to protect Yuna. Tidus, Paine, and Auron took to the front lines. Kimahri and Max took the side positions, while Lulu and Rikku stood behind her. Wakka seemed conflicted and stood a bit further away from them before receiving an evil eye from Lulu and Max. Then he took to the back lines, albeit a littler further than Lulu, as if he was still unwilling to go against a maester, even if it was Seymour. "Ah, of course. 'Protect the summoner even at the cost of one's life.' The Code of the Guardian. How admirable. Well, if you're offering your lives, I will have to take them." said Seymour as he prepared to fight. Wakka gasped at this revelation.

"Dude, Screw you. Only life the reaper's collecting is yours" said Max as he flipped him the finger. Wakka wanted to reprimand him, but he was still in shock of Seymour's death threat. "Maester Seymour, I trust my guardians with my life. But they are also my friends. I will not stand by and watch them be hurt. I will fight you, too!" announced Yuna as she drew her staff out. Paine had kept it for her.

"Maester Seymour!" Wakka pleaded, hoping that it wouldn't have to result in a fight.  
"So be it," replied Seymour ominously as he drew his staff out and his bodyguards took the vanguard position.

* * *

 **Anddd Cliffhanger! Gonna have a hell of a time to write this fight out, but trust me, I'll make it enjoyable. Also, someone mentioned about giving Paine an overdrive. I'll have to consider her style, but most likely overdrive you'll see from her are either original moves or a move from some other games.**


	28. Chapter 27 Fight to the Death!

**All right, usual disclaimer so I don't get sued: I don't own FFX, just the OC.**

 **Well, that's over with, hope you enjoy this chapter! Time to see a fight scene against Seymour. As you know, there are battle commands in this fight. I've done it so they flow in the fight scene. I appreciate any reviews about it, on how I could improve on that.**

 **On the side note, over 10k views. Yaa.**

* * *

It was a standoff. Each side stared at each other, daring for the other one to make the first move. Wakka was still trying to decide what to do, as he didn't want to go against Yevon. Max decided to make the choice for him. Max quickly loaded an arrow and shot it right towards Seymour's center, making the arrow a bit difficult to dodge. The arrow was the starting sign, as Auron, Paine, and Tidus charged forward. Seymour's two bodyguards went in to intercept. Tidus quickly cast haste on himself and ran right past the two Guado bodyguards, who couldn't turn around to chase him as Auron and Paine slashed down. The bodyguards used their arm guards to ward off the attack but were unable to counter their fierce attacks. Auron was just too skilled to fall for any traps. Paine's opponent managed to dodge and tried to attack, but Rikku jumped in to whack with her baton. Although the Guado bodyguard questioned this weapon, he took caution and dodged it instead of just grabbing it. He mentally thanked Yevon he chose that decision when he saw the baton crackle with lightning when it slammed onto the ground.

Tidus jumped up and slashed right at Seymour, who blocked it with his staff.

"I knew you were bad news from the first time we met!" snarled Tidus as he tried to push his blade down. "Oh, my sincerest apologies," Seymour replied sarcastically before pushing Tidus off. He cast _Thundara_ at Tidus, who managed to dodge it only due to his increased speed.  
"Seymour!" roared Tidus as he charged forward again. Max shot arrows at Seymour again to prevent him from having an easy time to cast spells while Yuna started to cast _Nul-_ element spells on Tidus.

* * *

The guard fighting Paine and Rikku had trouble but was able to defend himself until he suddenly found himself being shocked by a _Thundara_ spell from Lulu. Taking this opening, Rikku quickly stole the potions the guard had in his pocket while Paine did a spin slash, cutting his chest open. He quickly lost too much blood and fell down. The guard fighting Auron was sweating heavily, as he had to block Auron's heavy sword with both hands. Auron smirked as he slashed down, causing the Gaudo to quickly raise his arms to block. The impact forced the Guado down on to his knees as he struggled to keep the blade from cutting into his head. Auron smirked as he suddenly let go of his blade and jumped, confusing the Guado until he suddenly felt pain in his chest. He looked down to see Kimahri's halberd piercing him in the chest, right through his lungs. Unable to retain consciousness from such damage, he also fell down, dead.

* * *

"You may be a maester, but I will still fight!" yelled Yuna as she casted _Shell_ on Tidus and Max, who were the main target of Seymour's spell.  
"Your eyes, they burn with resolve… Beautiful," replied Seymour, admiring her resolve.

"Maester! We must stop this!" cried out Wakka. Seymour decided to reply with a _Fira_ spell at Wakka, getting annoyed at him.  
"Aaahh… This can't be happening!" cried Wakka.

"Wakka! Get it together or leave!" yelled Max as he dodged another spell.

"Either you do your job as a guardian, or get out of the way," said Auron bluntly. Wakka whined but got his ball out and threw it at Seymour.

Seymour saw that his bodyguards had fallen and that the others were approaching, and decided it was time to summon. "Feel my pain! Come, Anima!" announced Seymour as he raised his arms and looked to the ceiling. An anchor fell down, and soon, the aeon Anima came out.  
"Yuna! The new aeon!" Tidus called out. It was time to see if Yuna's summons were stronger than Seymours.  
"O fayth, lend me strength! Grand Summon!" declared Yuna.

"Grand summon?" asked Max.

"Usually, when an aeon is summoned for the first time or after using it's overdrive, they do not come forth into this world with an overdrive. However, due to Yuna's extensive training, she can use her overdrive and donate that energy towards the aeon, allowing them to be infused with the energy needed to cast an Overdrive right off!" explained Lulu as she quickly ran back to avoid being hit by anything the aeon fight would bring. Everybody else retreated behind Yuna to avoid impeding her.

The usual four summoning lights came forth around Yuna. However, a swirl of white wind seemed to gather around her as she lifted her staff up perpendicular to the ground. Yuna swiftly brought her hands down to her sides while kneeling, and five huge chunks of ice appeared out of nowhere and crashed behind her. Then, from the heavens, a ghostly apparition with a cloak descended down into the ice chunks. Soon, a womanly figure with light blue skin could be seen inside the ice. The ice suddenly shattered as the aeon backhanded the ice that was encasing her. The cloak she was wearing was suddenly lifted into the skies as she backhanded the ice, and floated down right in front of Yuna for her to catch. Max and Tidus took this chance to admire the new aeon. This aeon was definitely female and had a theme for ice as well as wearing skimpy clothing. She had long blue braided hair and deep blue eyes as she frostily stared at Anima. The only clothing she had on covered her privates, and even then barely. She had a nice body with long legs, but she was about as tall as Ifrit!

"The ice aeon, Shiva," Lulu quickly explained to Max and Tidus.

"Diamond Dust, Shiva!" yelled Yuna.

The aeon quickly complied by spinning once. Suddenly, winds as cold as the North Winds suddenly blew across Anima, and ice caps formed around him. Shiva soon started to channel a massive amount of energy in her body before gathering it all into her hands that she raised above her head. Everyone could feel the temperature start to get even colder. Shiva soon put both her hands down in front of her before swinging it back behind her. All the energy was now concentrated in her left hand as she swung her left hand forward with her right hand quickly going back down to her side. The energy blasted forward, creating even more ice around Anima. Soon, at least Anima's lower body was encased in ice while Anima was suffering from a severe case of frostbite, as it's whole skin was blue. Shiva merely grinned before raising her left hand and snapped with her fingers. The ice shattered, causing massive damage to Anima. However, it wasn't enough as Anima managed to get a hit on Shiva with its eye beam. Shiva quickly retaliated by summoning a big ice shard and dropping it right on it's head before running up to it and kicking it in the head. Anima soon collapsed, taking too much damage and scattered into pyreflies.

* * *

"That power that defeated Anima… It will be mine!" said Seymour as flickers of madness started to appear in his eyes.

He cast _Firaga_ on Shiva, causing critical damage on the aeon. Shiva quickly dissolved into pyreflies as everyone drew their weapons again. Seymour, however, started to cast second level black magic spells at rapid speeds that they couldn't get close enough. Finally, Wakka snapped as he saw Lulu and Yuna get hit by a _Watera._ He was Yuna's guardian, but more importantly, he was her adopted big brother. Nobody was allowed to hurt Yuna like that. His rage grew when Lulu had also been hit.

"I've had enough!" yelled Wakka. He started to spin rapidly in place. Before Seymour could wonder what the fool was doing, balls started to fly towards him at high speed and rapid pace. Seymour blocked the initial two, but was unable to block the rest and staggered back. Wakka stopped spinning as soon as 12 shots had been fired off. He was slightly dizzy from spinning while channeling his overdrive energy to multiply the amount of balls he had. Taking advantage of this, Kimahri used his Overdrive to cast _Aqua Breath_ , staggering Seymour even more.

"Now's our chance!" yelled Max as he released an arrow that hit Seymour's staff with a _Thundara_ arrow. With his staff knocked away, Seymour was now quite defenseless. He cast some more spells to ward them off, but without his staff to aid him, they were weak and slow enough to dodge while running towards him.

Rikku quickly stabbed at Seymour's stomach with her baton before releasing the voltage on Seymour. While being shocked, she quickly stole an item that was in Seymour's pouch before jumping away. Lulu cast _Watera_ back at Seymour as revenge. Kimahri ran forward and swung his halberd from below, causing Seymour to rise into the air from the hit. Paine and Auron both leaped into the air and performed a cross slash between them. Seymour suddenly found himself with two sword wounds on his chest, each wound crossing over each other. Before he could even begin to retaliate or heal himself, Tidus was coming from above with a downward stab. Tidus had run to Max, who launched him into the air with a kick as soon as Tidus jumped onto his leg. (Imagine Link's usual first finisher from Twilight Princess)

"It's over!" shouted Tidus as his sword pierced right through Seymour's stomach. They both landed on the floor with a thud. Tidus quickly drew his blade back before swinging it to get the blood off his sword. As Tidus walked away, Seymour tried to get up once more but stumbled forward. Yuna took a few steps forward in concern before stopping. Even if the man was trying to kill them all, her kind nature made her feel bad about attacking back and wanted to help those in need.  
"Yuna…you would pity me now?" whispered Seymour before falling onto his back, dead.

* * *

Tidus and Max sighed in relief after that fierce fight. Everyone had been hit by Seymour's spells at least once and would have suffered more injuries if Yuna hadn't been there to cast nul spells and heal. However, everyone around them was not in the same state as them. Yuna quickly went up to Seymour's dead body before closing his eyes, making him seem like he was just sleeping. Suddenly, the doors behind them that lead to the Trials opened, and Tromell entered in with attendants.

'Oh come on!' thought Max, 'What happened to summoners and their guardian are the only ones allowed to enter!' Clearly, they blatantly ignored the rules if it went against their will.  
"Lord Seymour!" Tromell cried out, seeing Seymour's dead body with blood slowly pooling around him. "What happened here?"

Yuna quickly stood up as the attendants and Tromell gathered around Seymour, quickly wrapping all the injuries with bandages in a desperate attempt so save him.  
"What…what have I done?" stuttered out Wakka, horrified at his own actions.

Tidus frowned and instantly turned around to contradict him."Wait a minute! It's not our fault at all! Seymour struck first! He's the bad guy!" shouted Tidus.

Tromell slowly stood up and stared at Tidus and the rest of them. "You did this?" he said gravely.  
Auron didn't bother giving a reply before ordering Yuna to send Seymour off to the Farplane. However, before she could perform the sending, Tromell shouted for her to stop.

"Stay away from him, traitors!" growled Tromell as the attendants quickly dragged Seymour out. They would have stopped them, but some of them were still in shock of what they had done while the others were just too tired. Auron didn't seem to be in either category but he still let them go, as if he didn't care. However, most of them were in shock they had just slain a man. It felt so different from killing fiends. Max and Tidus were the first to recover besides Kimahri and Auron, who didn't seem to be fazed at all.

"Traitors?" gasped out Yuna as she collapsed onto her knees. Her whole world seemed to be fracturing before her eyes.  
"We're finished," muttered Wakka. Paine and Lulu seemed to be in agreement. Paine was still reeling in the fact that she had hoped to find Seymour to find justice on what Kinoc did, only to find her blade stained in his blood.  
"Now hold on just a minute!" said Tidus, "Seymour's the bad guy, right? We'll just explain to everyone what happened!"  
"It won't be that easy," said Auron.

"Yea," agreed Max, who caught on to what Auron was saying, "Bad guy or not, he was a maester. I don't think Yevon takes too kindly in murdering their maesters, even if they were corrupt."

Tidus caught on to what Max was saying and sighed. Why couldn't things be easy or black and white?

"Let's get out of here," said Auron as he walked towards the door. The others slightly hesitated to follow. Tidus went to Yuna and helped her back on to her feet. Seeing her eyes lifeless, he gave her a hug, hoping it would allow her to feel better.

Yuna's mind was still blank and the word traitors kept echoing in her mind. She could barely breath and wanted to go to sleep and wake up to find that it was just a dream. Suddenly, she felt someone hug her. It felt warm and seemed to wash away her worries. She didn't want to let this warmth but knew she had to stand up now. They couldn't let Seymour get away with his crime. She looked up and was surprised to see that it was Tidus who had hugged her. She had expected Lulu or Wakka to help her but saw that they were still in shock.

"Come on, Yuna. Let's go," said Tidus gently. Yuna nodded and started to walk out with Tidus by her side. Everyone quickly followed her.

* * *

They all came to the ice bridge and were about to cross it when the floor suddenly started to disappear before them.

"The Cloister of Trials start now," muttered Auron. Everyone was quite confused how Tromell managed to cross back without activating the Trials, but just put it up as they had the head priest with them to bypass that rule.

"We don't have time for this," said Max, exasperated. He took out his hookshot and aimed it at the ceiling of the other side of the bridge while Rikku had stars for her eyes again at the sight a new invention. Once the hook was in place, Max stuck the base part of his hookshot into the ceiling of where they were. A rope now connected the two places. He then took out an item that had wheels and a collapsible bar handle on it and hooked it onto the rope part. Tidus and Auron immediately knew what to do while everyone else was still confused.

"Well come on! Let's go!" said Max. Auron decided that they needed to be shown what to do and went first. He put his sword away and grabbed the handle. He took a few steps forward and jumped out into the open. The native Spira people were shocked and were about to grab Auron when they saw him sliding across all the way across to the other side. Once Auron reached the other side, he threw the handle back towards them. The only sound that could be heard was the wheel rotating as it came back towards them.

"But.. the trials.. we," stuttered Wakka.

"Forget it!" said Tidus angrily, "Like Max said, we don't have time! We need to get out of here as fast as we can! The longer we take, the less likely we'll, or more importantly, Yuna will get out of this alive."

Lulu nodded in agreement, "He's right. Time is of the essence. We can debate about this afterward."

Seeing no choice, Wakka muttered a few curse words before following them. Tidus told Yuna to just hold on tight on him and took off in a sprint with Yuna on her back. They both made it quite easily, though Yuna was not letting go of Tidus so easily even after they had made it across. Soon, only Rikku and Max remained on the other side.

"You need to tell me how you made all this stuff!" demanded Rikku, "That rope managed to hold even Kimahri! What's it made of? And that item of yours! I-"

"Rikku! I'll play 20 questions with you after we get out of here!" shouted Max.

Rikku gave an embarrassed eep and quickly crossed over. As soon as she reached the other side, she was about to send the handle back when Tidus stopped her. He quickly detached the wheel off the rope, causing everyone to be confused. Was he trying to strand Max? The answer came quickly when Max detached the base part off the ceiling and clicked a button on it. The rope started to recede, and it pulled Max forward towards them. He quickly gave the rope a jerk and detached the hook part off the ceiling before landing in front of them. Tidus quickly tossed him the wheel and handle, and Max put it back into his pouch.

* * *

They got out the door just in time to see Seymour's body exiting the building. Before they could stop them, Tromell and several Guado warriors stood in their path.

"Please…" begged Yuna.  
"Give us a chance to explain," said Auron as he stepped forward.  
"No need, I already know what I'll tell the other maesters," Tromell said with a serious face.  
"Meaning…?" asked Auron.  
"Lord Seymour was the leader of the Guado before becoming a maester," replied Tromell, with anger and anguish written on his face. The guards also had the same face.  
"You're not letting us go," Tidus summarized what all the Guado's were thinking.  
"Let you go? Lord Seymour would never forgive us if we did," said Tromell quite calmly.  
Rikku started to panic before remembering something important. "Wait, wait! Jyscal's sphere! We can show it to them!"  
"You mean this?" asked Tromell as he held up a sphere above his head. Before anyone could react, he crushed it in his hand.  
"The Guado take care of Guado affairs," declared Tromell.

"So, all the Guado's are all in on Jyscal's murder?" questioned Max. Most of the Guado warriors didn't even seemed phased by this.  
Kimahri swung his spear at the Guado, causing them to jump back.

"Away!"

"Run!" yelled Auron as he tackled a Guado guard to clear a path to the door.

They got out of the temple and ran as fast as they could. O'aka facepalmed as soon as he saw that his investor had killed Seymour, but decided business was business and sold Max some items while they were running. They quickly restocked on potions and arrows, while also buying some antidotes and other ailment cures.

As they were running, the Guado guards quickly gave chase. They were much faster than all of them due to their size and genetic makeup, so they were able to catch up. However, in terms of strength, they had less than the normal human. Instead, the Guado summoned fiends to aid them. Auron and Paine quickly slashed at the Guado while Tidus cast another Haste spell on himself and Max. They quickly took care of the fiends that were summoned and continued to run. More Guado tried to catch up, but Max delayed them by shooting _Fire_ arrows behind him every now and then. They quickly made it out of the bridge. Max had hoped the snowmobiles were still there, but it seemed like the Guado also had no problems using machina for their own personal benefits or just destroyed them, as it was gone. They continued to run, hoping to reach Lake Macalania and perhaps into Macalania Woods, where they could lose their chasers.

* * *

Right as they made it to the lake, a few Guado were already there, waiting to ambush them. However, what caught their attention was a huge creature the Guado had summoned. It stood at least two times taller than Kimahri and was covered in light blue fur. It had small eyes but many pointed teeth, giving it a threatening look. The main worry, however, was the size of its arm. It was the size of tree trunks and looked like it could easily knock someone out with a punch. Its body was muscular, showing that dealing damage to it wouldn't be an easy task. It pounded its fist together before jumping off the plateau it was on and landed in front of them, ready to fight. Two Guado warriors jumped off to back it up.

Seeing how power would be the key to keeping this summoned fiend, named Wendigo thanks to Kimahri's scan ability, Auron and Kimahri took it upon themselves to be the vanguard. Tidus, Paine, Rikku, and Wakka went for the guards first while Lulu, Max, and Yuna backed up Auron and Kimahri.

Tidus, feeling like time was of the essence, spammed _Haste_ on everyone. He felt extremely fatigued after doing so, but with so much adrenaline pumping through his body, he ignored it for now. Using his overdrive, he performed _Slice n Dice_ on one of the Guado guards. It was promptly followed by a grenade from Rikku.

Paine was dueling with the other guard before she jumped and slashed down with all her might, performing her _Braver_ overdrive. The Guado tried to put his arms up, but a ball from Wakka to his head prevented that action. Paine slashed his body right in half. Feeling a bit repulsed from doing such a thing, Paine had to look away from her action before running towards the Wendigo to help.

Auron and Kimahri could feel their muscles straining as they parried and attacked the Wendigo. It's brute strength pushed them back quite a few times. Luckily, Auron struck the Wendigo at its arms and used _Power Break_ on him. The Wendigo tried to punch Auron again but had to protect it faces from being hit by a _Fira_ arrow from Max. Lulu was casting _Fira_ as fast as possible, but she was running out of magic to keep casting without rest. Yuna was also getting tired from healing everyone. When the fiend Wendigo saw that it's Guado allies had been defeated, it decided it had enough. The fiend slammed its fist to the ground, causing everyone to stumble a bit. Another fist followed after that, causing the ice below to start to crackle.

"It's trying to break the ground!" called out Auron, "Stop him before he can-"

It was too late. Wendigo used the last of its strength to jump up into the air and put all it's weight on its fist slam the ice. The ice started to shatter, and they all knew they didn't have enough time to get out of the ice.

"Why is it always the floor?" muttered Max. "Hold on tight to someone if you can!" yelled Max as he grabbed Rikku close to her. Tidus grabbed onto Yuna, Wakka to Lulu, while Auron grabbed Paine. Kimahri jumped over to where Tidus and Yuna was and hugged both of them. The ice shattered, and they all fell down to the dark abyss that was below the ground. The last word Tidus could've sworn he heard was Max cursing the floor.

* * *

Tidus woke up with a killer headache. He looked around to see everyone was all right. He noticed that everyone seemed to be awake except for Yuna. Tidus was sure he protected her from any impact and was worried, but Max just told him that Yuna was just tired from all the stress and that she would be fine. As he took in his surroundings, he noticed that they were far below the lake and that they could even see the bottom of the temple when Lulu pointed it out. As Tidus looked around a bit, Auron spoke up.

"What now, I wonder?" pondered Auron out loud.  
Tidus was a bit shocked at this statement. "What now?" asked Tidus, "You act first and think later, don't you? I mean, can't you be a little more responsible? We're all depending on you. You know?"  
"A lecture?" Auron sternly asked.  
Tidus quickly backed off, "No, no, no! Just a suggestion."  
"You should place trust in your friends. But you can't expect someone to protect you all the time. You would do well to remember that," Auron sternly lectured.  
"Is that a lecture?" asked Tidus.  
"It's advice," replied Auron before he turned away.  
Tidus decided to check on the others and went to Wakka first to see him extremely depressed. "Hey, Wakka, would you cheer up? Look, we only did what we had to do," said Tidus. Max finally got up after talking with Paine for a bit and went over to join them in the conversation.  
"It doesn't matter!" Wakka cried out, "Don't you see? I've always walked the path of Yevon…but now, I'm a traitor. How could this happen?" He turned to Rikku, shaking his fist at her as if putting all the blame on her since she was an Al Bhed.  
"Don't even think about blaming this on Rikku," growled Max, "She hasn't done anything to warrant that type of attitude."  
Wakka could only sigh in acceptance on that before grunting "You don't know how I feel."

* * *

Max and Tidus decided to leave Wakka alone, and maybe call Lulu over to calm him down. They both walked back to where Yuna was still sleeping. Kimahri was acting as a bodyguard while Rikku was monitoring her pulse.

"I'm sure Yunie's okay. She's breathing fine and all. How are Lulu and Wakka?" Rikku asked.

"Wakka's in shock," Max replied succinctly.  
"Lulu, well, she's just the same as always," added Tidus.  
"She's so together. All grown up, I guess," said Rikku. Tidus and Max merely grunted in that reply.  
"Well, just give me five or six more years," Rikku giggled as she said that. Max couldn't help but imagine what she would look like in the future. Tidus, however, decided it was time for a subject change.  
"So, Kimahri, how do we get out of here?" Tidus asked.  
"Hey, don't change the subject!" Rikku yelled out, hurt by Tidus's tactics.  
"We climb," said Kimahri. Rikku was at tears in this point, seeing Kimahri was going along with it.  
"Only those who try will become," said Kimahri suddenly, confusing Rikku.  
"I think he means you have to work hard if you want to be like Lulu," interpreted Tidus.  
"Oh! I will!" said Rikku loudly.  
"Kimahri think Rikku should stay Rikku," said Kimahri sagely.  
"Huh? Hey! Are you saying I'll never be like Rikku! Kimahri!" cried out Rikku, insulted by this. Max and Tidus couldn't help laugh at this.

"No worries, Rikku." said Max, "I prefer you the way you are instead of trying to act like Lulu."

Rikku slightly blushed at this. However, the moment was ruined was Wakka asked them how they could laugh at a time like this. Paranoia was catching up to him.

Yuna suddenly shifted a bit before her eyes slowly opened. Tidus saw this and quickly called all the guardians over. As she sat up, she looked down a bit.  
"I wanted to confront Maester Seymour about his father, Lord Jyscal. I wanted to convince him to turn himself into Yevon's judgment," said Yuna as she finally had the courage to say it out loud.  
"In exchange for marriage?" asked Lulu.  
"That was the original plan, yes. However, I thought I could still convince him by other means," replied Yuna.

"What did Seymour say?" asked Paine.  
"He didn't say anything. Now…now I don't even think it was worth it. I should've told you what I was going to do," said Yuna as she started to cry.  
"Enough. Dwelling in the past is futile," Auron interrupted her waterworks, shocking everyone.  
"Hey! You don't have to say it like that!" said Rikku, defending Yuna.  
"You want to waste time listening to her regrets?" replied Auron.

"Always blunt about it, aren't you," sighed Max. Paine and Tidus nodded in agreement.  
"Our immediate concern is Yuna's pilgrimage. Are you willing to go on?" asked Auron.

'What is it with Auron and the pilgrimage? Why is it that important?' thought Max and Tidus.

"Yes," replied Yuna with no hesitation. "But then, do you think Yevon will allow it?"  
"The fayth are the ones that give power to the summoners. Not the temples or the teachings. If the temples try to stop us…then we will defy Yevon if we must," said Auron, again shocking everyone with what he just said.

"Whoa, Auron, ten years has definitely changed you," said Paine. The others expressed their shock. However, Wakka firmly opposed that decision.  
"Count me out," said Wakka, "We have to atone, to make up for the sins we have committed. Of course…it's not like I ever liked Maester Seymour, ya? No way I'll ever forgive him for killing Lord Jyscal…and for trying to do us all in too, you know? But still, the bunch of us going against Yevon? No way!"  
"But still, we have transgressed and must face our punishment," added Lulu.

"What sins?" grunted Max. "We were doing our duty as guardians." Wakka and Lulu shot a frosty glare at Max for that.  
"We must go to Bevelle. We must speak with Maester Mika and explain what has happened. There is no other way, I think," said Yuna firmly. Wakka and Lulu quickly agreed to this decision. Auron didn't seem to like it, though, and Yuna caught his reaction.  
"Will you come with us?" asked Yuna.  
"I am the troublemaker, after all," said Auron, accepting their new destination.

Tidus couldn't help but relieve the tension by adding some jokes about Auron. Rikku and Max quickly joined in on this, and soon, mostly everyone was slightly chuckling. Yuna mouthed to Tidus quietly, "Thank you."  
Wakka was disturbed how everyone could still even chuckle and complained, "Man… How can you all act like nothing's wrong? Must got nerves of steel or something."  
"You're too edgy. Listen to the hymn and calm down," advised Lulu.

* * *

As everyone scattered around a bit to rest and salvage anything of use, both Max and Tidus noticed the hymn. It sounded so much like home until Auron suddenly interrupted their thoughts.

"Jecht used to sing this song…" said Auron.  
"Yeah, over and over. But not this good, that's for sure," chuckled Tidus.  
"Another trait you share," replied Auron.  
"Huh? What, were you listening?" sputtered Tidus while Max was laughing. He remembered Tidus also humming this song sometimes, but it was always off-key.

"Eesh… Can't I get a little privacy?" grumbled Tidus.  
"Your singing reminded me of Spira," said Auron.

"Oh, right. You're originally from here. Did you get homesick when you heard the hymn?" asked Max.  
"Maybe," replied Auron.

"Say, how'd you get to Zanarkand, anyway? Sin?" asked Tidus. Auron answered with silence, only proving that Tidus's first guess was right. Both had to deal with the fact that Sin might be their only way back to their Zanarkand, and they were potentially killing their only ride.  
"We should get moving soon," announced Auron, causing everyone to stand up and stretch their bodies. Then, they all noticed an eerie silence around them.  
"The singing stopped," said Lulu, realizing that the hymn that had been their background noise stop.

Then, the ground suddenly rumbled, causing them to lose their balance.

"Sin!?" gasped Yuna.

"Are you seriously saying that the floor we are standing on is Sin!?" yelled Max in disbelief. Before anyone could react, the ground moved again, causing everyone to stumble onto the ground. The air started to become lighter, the the pyreflies that had been around them multiplied, even more, causing them to see illusions, and soon they all passed out. Max could be heard cursing the floor one more time.

Tidus, however, could feel that Sin really was his old man. In his dream, he saw images of Zanarkand and blitzballs on their boat. Tidus knew that Jecht was conveying his feeling to Tidus and was feeling homesick based off this, but couldn't help him, as he was Sin now and couldn't go back. Suddenly, and image of himself appeared as a child. Tidus couldn't help but chuckle as he told him that he was no longer a child. The last image Tidus saw was Jecht himself, his back facing Tidus.  
"I know. You want this to end. I'll find a way. Promise," said Tidus solemnly, before everything became white.

* * *

 **Overdrives: Paine does Braver, same as Cloud from FF7.**

 **Wakka used Attack Reels, slotting all 2 hits.**

 **Thanks for reading and review if you can.**


	29. Chapter 28 The Truth REVEALED!

**Disclaimer: Don't Own FFX**

 **There, can't be sued.**

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 **Hope you like this chapter.**

* * *

Tidus woke up in the water again after encountering Sin. 'What is it with me and water everytime I have a close shave with Sin?' thought Tidus as he sputtered water out.

As he got out, he noticed he was at a desert now, and nobody in sight. He sighed and hoped everyone made it. Even he couldn't find them, he could count on Max to find him. He was sure that his buckler had a tracking device, being friends with him. He checked his equipment and found that his sword was still with him. Thank heavens Max gave him a special chain to hook his sword to his waist. He turned around to the water to give one last message to his father. He wasn't sure that Jecht could hear it, but he still did it anyways.

As he walked out to the desert, a giant bird descended from the skies to attack him. Muttering a curse, Tidus drew his sword while casting Haste on himself. Luckily, he was able to land a few good hits, but the bird was just too big that he couldn't land a death blow. Then, Auron suddenly appeared from nowhere and slashed the fiend at the chest.

"Need some help?" asked Auron. Tidus could only sigh in relief that he had back up. Suddenly, a bolt of lighting hit the fiend in the head. Right after that, an arrow flew right into its eye. "Are you all right?" asked Lulu, concerned for everyone.

"Reinforcements has arrived!" cheered Max as he shot another arrow at the fiend.

Together, they managed to defeat the large bird fiend without much difficulty. As Tidus tried to get his breath back, he asked about if they found the others. They all shook their heads. "Haven't found them yet. We're supposed to stay in one place if we get split up," advised Lulu. Auron promptly ignored it and walked off.

"Wait here if you want. He's not," said Tidus.

Lulu could only shake her head before catching up. While they were walking, Tidus hung back with Lulu to distract her while Max quickly opened his arm computer. Auron merely glanced at Max before whispering to Max if he found anyone yet. Max grinned and pointed in a direction. They found Wakka finding shelter under a large broken machina.

"Where's Yuna?" asked Wakka. Everyone just exchanged glances, making Wakka groan.  
"Dammit!" muttered Wakka, kicking the broken machina he had taken shelter under,"First I lose Yuna, then I'm ambushed by machina! Great day I'm having."

They kept walking, with Max pointing at random directions. At first, Wakka and Lulu thought he was crazy, but they managed to find Kimahri and Paine from his 'intuition', so they didn't question it. They found Rikku after walking a bit further.

* * *

"Where's Yunie?" asked Rikku.

Everyone's face fell as they had hoped Rikku had found Yuna. Max sighed and decided it might be time to reveal everyone his arm computer to track down Yuna. She still had the tracker on him that he secretly has Tidus place on her hair braid. But to his surprise, Rikku revealed that she might know where she is, though.  
"Umm… There's something I wanna tell you, but promise not to say anything," she said hesitantly. Wakka immediately scowled at her, causing Max to hit him on the head to stop scowling.

"I know where we are," she declared, "We're on Bikanel Island. There's a place us Al Bhed call Home near here. Yunie's there, I'm sure of it! Other Al Bhed must've come and rescued her!"

"Rescued? You mean kidnapped!" interrogated Wakka.

"What does it matter as long as she's safe?" responded Tidus.

"That's right! Anyway, I will take you there if you promise… that you won't tell anyone about it. Especially not Yevonites, okay?" said Rikku with a serious face, "You know they don't like us Al Bhed. Who knows what they'll do if they knew?"

"Gimme a break. What are you accusing Yevon of this time?" shouted Wakka.

"Yevon did something really bad to us before," replied Rikku sadly. Wakka, however, kept attacking her heritage.

"Well, you Al Bhed must've deserved it," snorted Wakka. Rikku looked like she was going to cry until Max decided it was enough and jabbed Wakka in the stomach.

"Enough! Now's not the time to argue about the past. We need to find Yuna," said Max. Wakka growled but decided to promise not to tell. As they were walking, Tidus whispered to Max, "No luck on the tracker?"

Max shook his head. Somehow, the tracker wasn't showing on his radar, which meant she was too far away from them. The motion detector had a smaller range, so that was also useless.

Rikku lead them through the desert. However, she was not the exactly good with directions and ended up admitting she was lost. Luckily, Max saw a sign written in Al Bhed and had Rikku translate it, finding their path again. As soon as they climbed a dune, Rikku proudly stated they were at Home, only to shout in horror as she saw it was under attack. Everyone quickly rushed down, hoping Yuna was all right.

* * *

Everyone drew their weapons and attacked the fiends to try to help the Al Bhed. However, the damage was already done and bodies laid on the floor. Rikku found someone who she knew for a long time and was horrified to find him dying.

"Keyakku! Who? Who's attacking us?" Rikku sobbed out before asking it again in Al Bhed.

"Yevon… Guado…," Keyakku breathed out before dying.

"Keyakku? Keyakku!" shouted Rikku, shaking the dead body in hope that he was just sleeping. "A war? Between Yevon and the Al Bhed?" Lulu asked in aghast.

"Doesn't surprise me," said Paine, "Yevon's always been looking to strike at the Al Bhed for a long time, now."

Soon, a bald man with an authoritative aura around him came to Rikku. He gently pushed Rikku away, embracing Keyakku one last time as a goodbye before clearing his throat and standing up. His stern face looked at Rikku's friend, his body showed that this man clearly worked out, even if he was wearing yellow clothes that covered his figure. "You Rikku's friends?" asked the bald man with a tattoo on the side of his head, "Well, just don't stand there, come on! Let's go kick those Guado out of our Home!"

He rushed back into the fight with the Al Bhed gathering around him, gaining courage as he dived in headfirst towards the enemy.

"Who is he?" asked Max.

"Cid. Leader of the Al Bhed… He's my dad," Rikku answered back. Max could only gulp and did not look forward to talking to him in a more personal setting. "Let's go," commanded Tidus. "We have to save Yuna."

* * *

They rushed into the base, fighting off fiends and Guado that had managed to get in. Wakka was now witnessing first hand how cruel and brutal Yevon was and was in shock at this. How could they murder people in cold blood? They didn't deserve this.. this genocide. Suddenly, a voice rang out from the announcers.

 _ **"Drec pedac! Rikku! Oui nayt sa? Oui ku ihtan, duu! E ys majamehk Rusa! Yht dra veaht fedr ed!"**_  
"Oh, no!" shouted Rikku.  
"What'd he say!?" yelled Wakka.

"Something about destroying all the fiends and Home along with it," replied Max. Everyone ran even faster at this.

"We have to get underground! To the Summoners' Sanctum! This way!" urged Rikku.

They fought even more Guado and fiends trying to get through. As they got through a hallway, Wakka took some time to look around. Walls had holes in them, and the fire was spreading.  
"This place done for," said Wakka. Rikku couldn't deny that truth.  
"You're right," said Rikku in a small voice, "You're right, Wakka. We Al Bhed, we…we weren't always like this. Sin destroyed the island where we all used to live. After that, we were scattered to every corner of Spira. But then, my dad brought the Al Bhed together again. If we few put our minds to it and worked together, then we could make a new home. Everyone worked hard, we had our Home back again… But now… Why did things have to turn out this way?" She started to cry, and her head was on Wakka's chest. Max felt jealous but put it off for now. There were more important things happening.  
"Rikku…," muttered Wakka, feeling extremely guilty on how he treated Rikku earlier and hugged her, "Damn those Guado! What are they thinking?"

* * *

As they mowed down more Guado and fiends, Lulu decided she needed to know something.  
"Rikku, what is the Summoners' Sanctum?" asked Lulu.  
"The Summoners' Sanctum is where we keep the summoners. We keep them safe there," replied Rikku.  
"You kidnapped them," stated Wakka flatly.  
Rikku nodded and answered, "I know it's against the teachings and all that…"  
"I get why you did it, but…" said Wakka, as if understanding why. Max and Tidus didn't.  
"Well, I sure don't get it, Wakka," exclaimed Tidus, "They might get hurt on their pilgrimage so you kidnap them? I mean, if the summoners don't do their job, then who will beat Sin? You want to protect them, I know. But guardians are there for that. If guardians do their job well, summoners will be safe! Right?"

Nobody answered back at this. Even Paine seemed to look away from him.

"Right!?"

"Hello? He's right, isn't he?" asked Max. Everyone seemed to adopt an even guiltier face at this. The awkward silence stretched out to everyone.

* * *

Kimahri decided to announce that he would take the front lines in case of more attacks. They all quickly entered the room dubbed the Summoner's Sanctum, where they saw it was in shambles. There was wreckage everywhere, and dead Al Bhed bodies laid on the floor.  
"Yuna!" shouted Kimahri as he burst into the room.  
"She's not here," a voice rang out. Everyone looked to the source of the voice to see Donna and Isaaru approaching them.  
"Hello again," greeted Dona without her usual haughty voice, "Wait there until we have performed the sending."  
"They died…protecting us. It's not much, but the least we can do is give them a proper sending," explained Isaaru.  
Pacce suddenly ran up to Tidus and Max and asked "Hey, um, what's 'sacrificed'? The Al Bhed said summoners were being 'sacrificed.' That summoners shouldn't have to do a pilgrimage…"

Tidus didn't understand Pacce's question, but those words chilled Max to the core.

'No, no no!? Please tell me it's not what I think it is!?' Max mentally shrieked.

"Why couldn't they trust guardians to protect the summoners? The Al Bhed had no right stopping their pilgrimage!" shouted Tidus.

"The pilgrimages have to stop! If they don't, and they get to Zanarkand… They might defeat Sin. Yunie could…but then she… Yunie will die, you know?" shouted Rikku. The place shook as if to punctuate this statement. Tidus and Max completely froze at this.

"You know, don't you?" Rikku asked, "Summoners journey to get the Final Aeon. Yuna told you, didn't she? With the Final Aeon, she can beat Sin. But then…but then… If she calls it, the Final Aeon's going to kill her! Even if she defeats Sin, it will kill Yunie too, you know!" She fell onto her knees and started to cry.

Tidus slowly rebooted his brain up. "Were we the only one who didn't know?" he asked slowly in disbelief.

Max kneeled down to Rikku to shake her to ask "Why!? Why didn't you tell me, or Tidus? Why didn't anyone tell us at all? Why hide it? Don't you think we should've known this!" His tone started to become hysterical.  
"We weren't hiding it…" Wakka said quietly.  
"It was just…too hard to say," finished Lulu.  
"Lulu!" screamed Tidus, tears in his eyes, "How could you? How could you? Isn't she like a sister to you? I thought you were family!"

Max whirled around to Wakka with rage in his eyes, "And you accepted this barbaric tradition? YOu even told us nothing has to change, and you're willing to send someone who you see as a sister to die!?"

"Don't you think we tried to stop her? She follows…her heart," replied Lulu. She couldn't face Max and Tidus with a straight face. Wakka wanted to reply to Max, but his words stung him deeply. Was he really fine with sending someone he loved to death just to follow tradition?

"And that's just totally wrong! Summoners shouldn't have to sacrifice themselves…just so the rest of Spira can be happy, right?" asked Rikku.

Max and Tidus faced Auron, wanting to demand answers. He had known them the longest, and this sort of secret wasn't something one was supposed to hide. However, a large fiend, similar to the one they fought back at Macalania Lake materialized from the pyreflies. The summoners were too late to send all the Al Bhed.

* * *

"But that is our choice…" stated Isaaru, answering Rikku's question as he walked towards the fiend.

"We all live in fear of Sin. You know that," said Dona as she walked with him. The summoning lights started to come forth from them while Maroda and Pacce stood behind them. "A world without Sin… That is the dream of all Yevon's children," said Issaru passionately, "And we will use that power, even if it means our lives!"

As he finished his sentence, Valefor and Ifrit were summoned by the summoners to deal with the fiend. Ifrit immediately leaped towards the fiend and start to pummel on it. Before Valefor could take to the air, though, Tidus had ran past everyone right towards Valefor and start pounding on its chest.

"And I've been telling Yuna…," cried out Tidus, "Let's go to Zanarkand together! Let's beat Sin! I told her all the things we could…we could… And all along, the whole time, I didn't know anything! But Yuna, she'd…just smile."

Many, including the summoners, were shocked at Valefor's next action. Instead of leaping to battle to aid Ifrit, even though it clearly didn't need help, Valefor chose to drop back down to the ground, sensing Tidus's sadness. It crowed as it leaned its neck down to nuzzle Tidus, trying to wash his tears away. Dona had clearly commanded it to attack the fiend, but it chose to ignore that order to wash misery away. Tidus had flashbacks of all the memories he had with Yuna, all the happiness he had found with her. He soon found his resolve.

"I can't let her die! I'll find her!" shouted Tidus as he stood back up, his eyes blazing with resolve.

"And I'll help," stated Max with eyes the same as his.

Everyone nodded and ran out to the next room, Rikku leading the charge. Soon, they arrived to see Al Bhed trying to get into a ship. Max instantly recognized it as an airship, and was amazed that they managed to find something like this. As they got in, Max saw the Al Bhed loading as much machina as they could and grinned.

* * *

On the bridge of the airship, Cid was urging his crew to hurry up, telling them there was no time. The pilot, who they recognized to be Brother, was complaining that they needed more time and that some of the systems weren't fully operational. Gippal was also on the ship, trying to run a system check on a computer he barely had any idea what to do. Before anyone could do anything, Max ran forward and took the pilot seat. Max and Tidus had both agreed as they boarded the ship that it was time. Tidus wanted to interrogate the captain on where Yuna was but knew that speed was of the essence. He would do it later.

"What are you doing, brat?" shouted Cid as he was about to pull Max away.

Suddenly, Max opened his arm computer for everyone to see in amazement, halting Cid in his tracks. He quickly pulled a wire out, found a port for it to install, and quickly accessed through the files. He was typing in commands at lightning speed that they couldn't keep up with him as files kept popping up all over the screen, both at his arm computer and the screens on the ship.

"Converting language to English, check. Engines, check. Weapons systems online. Flight status all green, oh wait there's a yellow one. Recalculating power on that... done. Ready for flight," muttered Max as he shut his arm computer.

"Tidus, sit at that seat. That's one of the main control panels for this airship. Cid, sit with him. Rikku, go with your friend down there. I'll need a translator if I want him to do as I say," commanded Max. Tidus quickly grabbed Cid to sit down while Rikku followed orders. Everyone except Auron was still in shock that Max just took charge, but more importantly, was very familiar with machina. Before Wakka could launch an interrogation, Max shouted out "READY FOR LAUNCH! EVERYONE EITHER TAKE A SEAT OR GRAB HOLD OF SOMETHING!" He turned the engine on, signifying it was ready.

"Tidus! The computer should be in English for you to read. Activate the announcement button and tell Cid to have everyone sit down or grab something steady in Al Bhed," said Max.

Cid was shocked that there was something like that in his ship, but complied as Tidus flipped the switch and told him to speak clearly towards the computer. As Cid was talking, everyone could hear that his voice was being echoed through the airship.

"So, how are we going to find Yuna?" asked Pain, "Do you know where she is?"

"'Course not," replied Cid, "Those stinking Guado managed to snag Yuna before we could back at Bikanel Island. That's why we're gonna look! Using this airship!"

"Airship?" Wakka stuttered.

"Opening hangar doors," said Max, being in complete control. The airship slowly rose from the ground, going out the hangar doors.

" _ **Fruy! Ed sujac!"**_ said Brother in amazement.

"You said it," whispered Gippal.

" _ **Necg pek, feh pek!"**_ replied Cid in laughter.

Soon, the airship took off to the skies, leaving Home behind it. Everyone was still in shock they were actually flying, except for Tidus and Max. Tidus still enjoyed it, but Max was used to it, after making a few inventions that dealt with flight.

* * *

Soon, Cid took charge again. He spoke in Al Bhed first, but then realized that the pilot of the ship and the kid next to him didn't speak Al Bhed.

"Kid, we're using that thing located around the ship and shooting it to Home."

"The name's Max! Remember it otherwise, I do a barrel roll when you're not expecting it," replied Max, although he was already engaging the weapons system. Cid didn't know what a that was, but felt like he wouldn't like that, and decided to obey him. Max had Tidus look up the weapons system while he was flying and was enjoying what he saw was on the ship.

Before he fired, Brother started to sing the Hymn of the Fayth. He was soon joined in by all the Al Bhed crewmen, including Cid, with sad faces.  
"What's goin' on?" asked Wakka.  
"We're…we're going to blow up our Home," repliedd Rikku glumly.  
"How?" asked Lulu, horrified at this.  
"With one of the forbidden machina!" replied Cid. "Fire now!"

"Not yet," said Max, who had been scanning the ship sensors. "We're not out of safety distance yet if my calculations are right, and we'll only need a half barrage, not a full one that you were planning. Also, we have some unwanted visitors in the cargo area."

He pulled up a screen in the middle of the bridge, showing them all that some of the Guado had managed to make it on the ship. Unfortunately for them, they were at the cargo area. Max took a peek at the screen and saw everything in there was nailed down and grinned.

"Cid, make the announcement in Al Bhed and tell everyone to hold on tight to something for their lives. Have anyone that doesn't understand what you just said to follow their lead," said Max.

"What are you planning, Max?" muttered Cid as he made the announcement. Five seconds later, he found out and wish he didn't.

Max suddenly had the cargo area's door open, surprising the Guado. Before they could do anything, the ship completely flipped onto its left side. Some managed to grab on to something while others fell out screaming.

" _ **Lnywo pycdynt! Oui'mm tuus ic ymm!"**_ shouted Brother. Max just ignored him and punched in a few keys. Soon, the song _Otherworld_ came blazing on the speakers. Tidus was rocking his head to the song with Max while everyone else thought those two was crazy.

"Huh, stubborn little buggers," said Max, seeing that some of the Guado were still hanging on. He righted the ship back to its original pace. The Guado sighed in relief lowered their guard for a second, and it cost them.

* * *

Max did a barrel roll.

* * *

They fell out screaming while everybody else on the ship was also screaming.

"All right. Tidus, go ahead and fire our missiles, half salvo only," said Max as he had the weapons ports opened.

Tidus grinned, typing up the command before he saw the button that would allow him to fire the weapon. He quickly slammed it, and missiles were launched from the right side only. They all flew right into Home, detonating on impact and leveling it into dust.

Cid laughed weakly after seeing their Home destroyed. He would have laughed louder, but he felt a bit queasy after Max's stunt, "Gah-hah-hah-hah! Nadinh du cyht!" Brother was weakly crying at the loss of their home, but the feeling of throwing up was more prominent.  
Seeing Rikku depressed, Wakka tried to cheer her up."Hey, look. Don't get so down. Boom! Like happy festival fireworks, ya?" Let it be known that Wakka was not the most tactful person.  
"You can cram your happy festival, you big meanie!" shouted Rikku before storming away. Wakka's face fell at that, knowing himself that he screwed up.  
"Why didn't I just shut my big mouth?" he groaned

Soon, everyone managed to feel a bit better after Max's stunt. Tidus decided it was time to ask Cid some questions he wanted answered.

"Where's Yuna?" asked Tidus. When Cid chose to ignore him, he repeated his question louder and with a snarl.

"And What'll you do when you find her, eh?" asked Cid, with a frown in his face.

"I didn't know anything about what a summoner is supposed to do," replied Tidus with a whisper. He tone grew louder as he continued to speak, "And I told her all those things without even knowing. I've got to tell her. I've got to tell her I'm sorry!"  
"That's it?" questioned Cid, grabbing Tidus's shirt. "You're gonna tell her you're sorry? And then you just drag her to Zanarkand and make her fight Sin, huh? You're all the same — let the summoner die so we can live in peace!" shouted Cid as he shoved Tidus down.  
"No!" yelled Tidus as he stood back up with resolve burning in his eyes, "I'm not gonna let Yuna die!"  
Cid saw that Tidus was completely serious about this. "Boy, don't forget those words, 'cause if you do…I'm gonna make you regret it."  
Tidus nodded in acknowledgment, swearing that he would find a way, "I won't. So you know where she is? "  
Cid shook his head as he walked to the center of the bridge, where a sphere image popped up, "I'm lookin' into it, okay? Don't worry, I'm using a sphere oscillo-finder. If she's out there, we'll get her."  
Tidus tilted his head in confusion at that. Seeing his reaction, Cid merely sighed.  
"It's an ancient machina. I don't know how it works either, so don't ask me, okay?" said Cid.  
"And you still use it?" asked Lulu in shock.  
"I don't even rightly know how this rig flies, either!" laughed Cid, causing Wakka to curl up in fear. "All because of the Yevon taboo on machina, we're running around in the dark here! Ain't it a rush, kiddos?"

Tidus shook his head when Max stepped up to the sphere image. Tidus grinned. He knew Max would be able to solve this one faster. True to his mind, Max popped open his arm computer again and plugged a wire into a port, where he started typing up some commands.

"Hey, wait, if Max is here... Who's flying the ship?" asked Paine.

Everyone froze and quickly looked at the pilot seat to see it was empty. Everyone was screaming and/or panicking except for the people who had been in Zanarkand for at least the past 10 years. Max sighed as he shouted over the panicking crowd, "It's on autopilot! If you don't know what that means, it means the airship system is currently piloting it."

Nobody knew what that really meant, but they decided not to question it since the ship wasn't going down. More importantly, they had questions for Max. The first question... came from Rikku.

"What is that? Is that a machina? How long have you had that? What's it do? Can I see it?" Rikku stopped to take a breath. Max took this time to answer her questions.

"Arm computer. Yes. Had this for about... a year after making it. Let's me do a lot of things. Maybe."

Wakka finally rebooted his own brain and shouted, "Wait! You've had that ever since we met?! And you made it!? You two told me that you were mainly a blitzball adviser and blitzball player!"

Tidus chuckled and answered that question, "I never said that was his main job. He still is, though."

"Boy.. What's your main occupation?" asked Cid.

Max had finished uploading the program to the system to help find Yuna before closing his arm computer and turning around to look at them all in the eye.

"My main job/hobby... is a machina specialist. I create and study them back at home. I could probably tell you how all of the stuff on this ship works."

* * *

 **DUN DUN DUNN! The truth is revealed on both sides! Man writing this chapter felt good. Read and Review!**


	30. Chapter 29 Assault to Bevelle

**Disclaimer: Don't own FFX.**

 **Well I got a review the size of China. I wished the person who left the review wasn't a guest and had a name instead. What I'm trying to get to is... Thanks. I don't mind criticism as long as it helps me improve my writing. Keep in mind I had moderate guest reviews on and I could've taken it off. However, since your review wasn't a straight out F U on the author, I kept it. Do wish you keep reading, though, i could use more reviews like yours. Since I don't have a name, I'm going to write the response at the end of the chapter so other people can enjoy this one.**

 **Bit shorter than usual, but I promise the next chapter will come at it's usual weekly schedule.**

* * *

Almost everyone was frozen at this revelation. Wakka was in shock that he had been traveling and playing blitzball with someone who Yevon would've deemed a heathen. Lulu was amazed how they had hidden it so long. Paine was just surprised. Kimahri... was Kimahri, and still totally stoic. Rikku had stars for her eyes.

Cid slowly walked up to Max after hearing the news, grabbed his hands, and looked him straight in the eye, and asked the most important question in his mind.

"Can you save my niece?

It was quickly followed by another question that almost eclipsed the first one.

"And can you teach us? Hell, join the Al Bhed! I'm sure somebody in our ship is willing to date, no, marry you!"

Max merely smirked and replied, "Does that mean I'm allowed to marry your daughter Rikku?"

Rikku went completely red at this while Cid shouted out, "NO! Not my daughter!"

He had a furious face on until he noticed Max was laughing at his expense. As soon as they calmed down, Max said, with a serious face, "Although I'm not considering marriage, I would actually like your permission to date Rikku."

Rikku's face bypassed red and was turning purple from the lack of oxygen. Luckily, Tidus slapped her in the back and told her to breathe.

Cid's face was devoid of any emotion for a while. Inside his mind, a terrible war was being waged upon in very soul.

* * *

 _Inside his mindscape_

'Say yes!' whispered a voice.

'But, that's my daughter! Why not someone else?' argued the other voice.

'It's just dating, not a marriage. Think of all the machina he can help us with!'

'But it's my daughter!' whispered the other voice. They kept bickering.

* * *

 _Back outside_

In the end, the decision wasn't his to make. Rikku ran towards Max and jumped, kissing him on the lips.

"I don't mind," said Rikku, "As long as you teach me more about machina."

"Hey! Fine, you can date, but don't kiss in front of me! There are rules!" shouted Cid.

Auron decided to it was time to turn to a more important subject.

"After rescuing Yuna, then what? You want to keep her safe, correct? Would you seek to stop her pilgrimage?" interrogated Auron  
"Of course!" shouted Cid, relieved to turn to another subject, "If she continues this fool pilgrimage, she will die! Sure as if you killed her yourself. No hare-brained law or teaching can send my little niece to her death! When I save her, I'll make her give up being a summoner quicker than a desert melts ice!"  
"Even against her will?" asked Auron, his eyebrow rising up,  
"Better than a dog's death! And I'll take down anyone who don't agree!" said Cid firmly.  
Auron slowly nodded his head, "You are the captain." He turned around to leave, settling down at the hall that lead to the rest of the ship.

Meanwhile, Wakka's mind just kept failing him. First, he finds out he's been traveling with an Al Bhed. Then he finds out that a maester was guilty of murder and wants to kill them all. After that, he ends up helping kill the maester and running without being to explain. After losing Yuna, he now finds out that Max was actually a machina specialist, a heathen by definition of Yevon, and Yuna was related to Cid, leader of the Al Bhed? He decided to just keep quiet and try to slowly make sense of what was happening in his life.

"No matter what happens, Yuna won't give up her pilgrimage," whispered Lulu firmly to Wakka, who could only just numbly nod.

"So, what were you doing earlier?" asked Gippal, "We still need to find Yuna somehow."

Suddenly, a beeping noise could be heard from the console.

"Found her," said Max as he strode over to the console. He quickly pulled out a map, entering in the coordinates of the where the tracker was.

"Anyone recognize these coordinates?" asked Max to the general public.

Cid frowned as he studied it, "That seems to be at Bevelle."

"All right, then. Full Speed to Bevelle!" shouted Max, "Somebody else drive, though. I saw quite a bit of material that you guys brought in, and I want to... upgrade my items. And before you ask Rikku, yes, you can come watch."

Max convinced Brother to pilot as he turned off the auto-pilot, promising him that he would come back if there was anything wrong with Rikku's help. As Max walked out of the bridge with Rikku leading Max to a spot where he could craft his items, Cid suddenly realized something important.

"Hey! Wait! I'm not having you two alone! Somebody has to watch over you two!"

"DIBS!" shouted Gippal as he ran out of the room. The other Al Bhed dropped their head in misery, as they also wanted to watch Max craft.

* * *

Tidus decided to explore a bit as they were headed towards Bevelle. He ran into Isaaru and his company and made a bit of small talk with them. Isaaru was adamant about continuing his journey but wished Tidus luck. Maroda was nervous, and Pacce was sleeping, as he was just too tired. Tidus walked through the ship a bit more and decided not to go through a door where he heard Max's tool going to work. He knew better than to disturb him during crafting time. As he turned around, he saw Donna barely even sitting properly, just completely crumpled near a wall. He asked if she was fine, which she told him to back off. However, as he was about to walk off, she stopped him.

"Wait… There's something I want to ask you," said Donna, "What would you think if I said I…I was giving up my pilgrimage?" asked Donna

Tidus merely shrugged before stating his opinion that it sounded good. Donna was puzzled at this answer and explained why most people never forgave a summoner who quit. His reply to that was to give them a middle finger advised her to tell others to buzz off, as she had sacrificed enough. Donna became withdrawn and pondered about this, thanking Tidus before letting him on his way.

* * *

Soon, they drew near Bevelle, where the sphere image was finally close enough to create a sphere image. Tidus had wondered back in already, but Max was still with Rikku and Gippal.

"The Palace of St. Bevelle. Heart of Yevon," commented Lulu for Tidus's sake.

They saw many warrior monks and priests, all patrolling as if preparing for something. Suddenly, they saw Yuna. She was wearing a beautiful white dress and had a veil on her head. She wore a tiara with her hair braided in a nice fashion. Her dress was low cut, broadcasting her milky white shoulders to the world while her dress dragged along the ground behind her. She was certainly beautiful to look at. She was walking down an aisle, as if ready to be wed. However, what made Tidus seethe in rage was the man that was walking down a different aisle, who was to be the groom. It was Seymour!

"Gramps, Let's move!" yelled Tidus.

"Easy, kiddo. Bevelle's defenses are top-notch," warned Cid.

"What's the matter, gramps? You scared?" teased Tidus, "Yuna's there, so we go and get her. And that's all. Plus, we have Max. Speaking of which, he should know about this."

Cid nodded and turned to the microphone to let Max know to come back. He also decided to warn him that he had better not been doing anything with Rikku. While they were waiting, Wakka decided to get a question of his chest.

"I'm glad Yuna's okay and all, but what's with those fancy clothes?" asked Wakka dumbly.

Lulu gave an exasperated sigh and answered, "It's called a wedding dress."

"What!?" shouted Wakka.

"Might want to be louder, Wakka. I'm sure not everyone in the ship heard your voice," said Max sarcastically as he entered the bridge. Rikku and Gippal followed right behind him, their eyes twinkling in admiration of what Max had created using the machinas they had available, and they still didn't understand some of them. Max had several items that suspiciously looked like backpacks. He tossed one to Auron, Tidus, Gippal, and surprisingly Kimahri. Max already knew that Wakka would refuse point blank to carry anything he made, so he didn't bother.

"Huh. Seymour's still alive? How's that work?" asked Max as he looked at the screen.

"He is dead. As dead as Jyscal was," answered Auron, "His attachment to this world kept him from the next."

"Huh. An unsent," said Gippal "Surprised that Maester Mika is allowing this unless he doesn't know."

"Well, at least they don't use forbidden machina," muttered Wakka, earning glares from a lot of people.

"Don't be so sure of that," said Gippal, "There are some things inside they don't let you see."

"Like most of their soldiers having guns and having weaponized machina droid patrolling the area?" asked Max, who had been typing some commands on his arm computer.

"Wait, what?" asked Paine.

* * *

Everyone looked at the sphere image to see close up images of the warrior monks with guns and floating droids they hadn't noticed at all. Wakka curled up into a ball and started crying a bit, with Lulu comforting him. Everything he knew about Yevon, everything he had set his path to follow it, was crumbling to pieces. He wanted to blame Max, Rikku, any Al Bhed, but he knew truthfully, it was none of their fault.

Suddenly, they all heard a loud shrieking call near the ship. Max quickly pulled up an image to see a giant creature with wings and a long snake-like body.

"The guardian wyrm, Evrae. The great sacred beast– protector of Bevelle!" gasped Lulu, amazed to see a powerful fiend flying amongst them. Evrae looked like it was ready to attack the airship.

"The red carpet has teeth," muttered Auron.  
"Wait, that means we're close to Bevelle!" exclaimed Tidus.

"You guys are gonna have to go on deck to fight it," said Cid.

Everyone nodded to that plan. Max, however, decided to play another role. He motioned Brother to get off the pilot seat and let him drive.

"Tidus, you'll tell me when you want me to go near Evrae or go far. I'll be able to react faster than Brother here and respond immediately. Looking at our weapons systems, we can probably launch about 3 salvos of the weaker missiles and a half load of the stronger one used to detonate Home. However, it's preferable if we don't use that one unless we're desperate, but the weaker ones won't finish him off. I do see another weapon, but I don't want to use that one until I've checked it over," said Max. Tidus nodded and told everyone to meet at the deck.

As they went up, the party was surprised to see Gippal coming with them.

"I'm joining you guys in rescuing Yuna. Can't let you have all the fun," said Gippal, "Plus, Max made some major upgrades to my weapon design."

He took out his weapon, which was almost as tall as him. It had a rounded sawblade at one end and what seemed to be a mortar cannon at the other. Wakka bit his lip to prevent himself from criticizing Gippal. Now wasn't the time, and Yevon didn't seem like what it should have been.

They climbed onto to the deck just in time to see Evrae ascend to the skies before floating near them. It looked anxious to feed on them.

"Take him down!" shouted Tidus.

* * *

They did their best to damage Evrae, but it wasn't easy between dealing damage while making sure they didn't fall off the ship. Gippal was having fun using his sawblade to damage Evrae. Suddenly, Evrae roared to the skies before gazing at them. Evrae's gaze was at Kimahri, and it's eyes flashed. Kimahri was suddenly turned to stone. While Rikku quickly went to grab a Soft to heal the petrification status, Tidus felt something was wrong.

"Pull back!" yelled Tidus. Max immediately complied, hitting the brakes while drifting away. Evrae was unable to follow them fast enough and spat out it's poison breath it had been planning to use, missing everyone.

"Firing salvo one!" shouted Cid as he hit the launch button. Missiles came out of the ship, impacting the fiend. Evrae responded by shooting it's Photon Spray attack, impacting the ship. The ship held, but the people on deck were also hit and almost fell off the airship.

"Get us in closer!" yelled Tidus, fearing that far range could prove deadly.

Max accelerated and got closer. As they were nearing the fiend, Lulu and Wakka hit it a few times with magic and a ball from a distance. Gippal showed off his new weapon with his cannon muzzle acting as a sniper instead of a mortar. When it got even closer, Gippal switched to his sawblade and made it shoot out at Evrae. After it was shot and damaged Evrae, it was magnetically attracted back to his weapon.

"I love my upgrade!" shouted Gippal.

Suddenly, Evrae glowed orange, and started to move a lot faster.

"It cast _Haste_ on himself!" shouted Paine.

"Crap! I can't outrun him fast enough if he's on crack!" shouted Max on the intercom.

As Evrae started to attack faster, forcing them on the defensive, time slowed down for Tidus. What could he do? He already spammed _Haste_ on everyone, and thankfully it was helping. However, there had to be something to help them. As Auron used _Power Break_ on it, an idea came to him. If he could accelerate someone's reflex, why couldn't he slow them down? He reached deep within, finding the magic that he used for _Haste_. He felt the flow of time on it, and how it was used to speed people up. He reversed the direction of it and cast it on Evrae. Suddenly, Evrae slowed downed a lot.

"Was that _Slow_?" asked Lulu.

Tidus shrugged and yelled Max to pull back as he saw Evrae roar again.

Seeing that Evrae was moving slower than usual, Max quickly pulled the ship back, causing Evrae to miss it's poison breath.

"Firing second salvo!" announced Cid.

"Screw that! Fire all the salvo's now!" shouted Max. Cid nodded have both the second and third volley fly out, As the last missiles hit, Evrae shrieked one last time, shooting its Photon spray at the ship before dissolving into pyreflies.

"Everyone all right?!" shouted Cid in the intercom. He was worried when he saw smoke coming off the ship.

"We took a heavy hit off that last ditch attack from Evrae. Engines are slowly losing power, though thankfully not as much since we unloaded most of our weight with those missiles. Still, it's gonna need to land soon to get those fixed," announced Max. "Everyone get ready. We're crashing the wedding in style."

Max had Brother take over as he rushed to the deck to join them. Gippal had decided to also be part of the landing party to rescue Yuna. They rose up before shooting down from the clouds, forcing everyone to hold on tight to the ship. Max had no trouble, and when they asked how, his reply was magnets. Tidus cursed and asked why he didn't give them any. Max's reply was that they needed to be able to move during the fight. His real reason was because he knew the floor was out to get him somehow and he wasn't taking the risk.

* * *

Back on Bevelle, Yuna was walking with grace up the aisle. She clenched her fist when she saw Seymour as an usnent. He smirked when he saw her, as if taunting her, saying there wasn't anything she could do, and that he would have her in the end. As the two aisles joined as one, they walked a bit further and slowly ascended to stairs to where Maester Mika and Kinoc were. She couldn't do anything, as monks and priest completely surrounded her. The only thing she actually had that was hers was the hair braid, hidden between her breasts. Suddenly, the sky started to glimmer as pyreflies descended from the heavens. Not liking this sign, Kinoc had his soldiers prepare their weapons for an attack. A few seconds later, the airship flew down from the sky, scaring most of the priests, who scattered. It was blaring music as it entered Bevelle.

* * *

 _Cue dramatic entrance music. FFX Ost Assualt_

* * *

"Fire!" shouted Kinoc. The warrior monks and the droids all fired upon the ship, dealing minor damage to it. As it flew past Yuna and Seymour, Yuna's eyes began to glow in hope, while Seymour's glowed in anger.

"Come," demanded Seymour as he pulled Yuna up the stairs towards Maester Mika.

As the ship flew past them, the wind currents from the ship forced her veil to fly off into the sky. Soon, two anchors from the front of the ship were shot out, crashing main center where the aisles met up. Yuna's heart leaped as she saw her guardians and Gippal grinding on the anchor ropes down to rescue her. Her eyes, though, were specifically at Tidus, her knight in shining armor.

As they were on the ropes, grinding down, Tidus was grinning as he showed off his agility by switching cables, making him a hard target to hit. Max and Gippal were using their weapons to provide range support, lightning the amount of bullets that was whizzing past them. Wakka had a stern face on, as he held on a resolve that it didn't matter if Yuna was half Al Bhed. He was going to rescue her, and screw Yevon for holding her against her will. Rikku was ready to rescue her cousin, and the new weapon Max made for her increased her resolve. Kimahri held Lulu as he actually grinded down the rope with just a piece of cloth Max provided for him to protect his feet. Both were determined to save Yuna. Paine, although had not known Yuna for a long time, felt it was her duty to save her summoner..., no, her friend. Auron was doing it for duty, although it didn't show on his face. Just as they all got off, the ropes snapped behind them as the droids blasted it with their cannons. The ship, unable to take anymore damage, flew off into the distance. Surprisingly, the soldiers had really bad aim as they couldn't land a hit on them.

It didn't matter, though. That was still part of the plan, and now, it was time to rescue Yuna.

"Yuna!" shouted Tidus. Their eyes met each other from a distance, but both could convey what they were feeling with just a glance.

'I'm coming for you, Yuna. I'll save you!'

'And I'll be waiting for you.'

"Lock and load, everyone! Take no Prisoners!" shouted Max maniacally as they all got their weapons out and charged.

'Huh. Burst type rifles. Not bad, but still within calculations,' thought Max as he shot arrows.

While running, nobody noticed him discreetly drop balls onto the ground that rolled into the shadows.

Soon, tall machina droids that used legs as it's weapon attacked them. They were tricky to dodge and had a nasty habit of punting one of them back when they gained ground. Auron soon got tired of this.

"This ends now!" shouted Auron as he channeled his Overdrive energy into his sword.

He ran up and slammed his blade at one of the machina, and it flew off into the distance, like a shooting star.

Paine jumped into a crowd of soldiers, who all aimed their weapons at her. However, before they could fire, she used her Overdrive energy and spun with all her might, creating a whirlwind and sending the soldiers flying away with cuts. Rikku concocted something, ran up to a machina with cannons for arms, and chucked it in before leaping away. It promptly blew up into pieces. She then flicked her wrists, where twin daggers crafted by Max appeared on her hands, and started stabbing some of the warrior monks. Gippal was having fun cutting their guns with his buzzsaw. Tidus was getting real tired of the warrior monks getting in the way, and he could see Seymour just gloating.

"Stay right there, Seymour!" shouted Tidus as he ran up to a solider, his Overdrive energy full. He jumped on the poor soldier, using him as a footstool as he leaped up into the air.

Concentrating that energy into his blade, he swung it horizontally towards the ground. Laser beams came forth from his sword, and impacted the ground a group of warrior monks was standing on. Suddenly, the ground blew up, causing most of those hit to fall unconscious. Kimahri was just hacking and slashing at anything that moved, while Lulu was casting spells to deter soldiers from shooting too fast.

'Almost there!' thought Tidus as they ran forward. Suddenly, they found themselves surrounded by even more soldiers, and more machina came forth as to punctuate that they weren't going anywhere.

* * *

"This has gone far enough!" declared Kinoc as he pointed his rifle at Tidus.

Tidus gritted his teeth, and wanted to charge forward, but knew it was suicidal. None the less, he shifted forward, causing Kinoc to jab his rifle at him, his trigger finger twitching. Kinoc commanded them to throw down their weapons. Seeing no choice, everyone dropped their weapon. Max merely dropped his quiver of arrows but kept his bow. Three black balls rolled out of the quiver, but it was ignored along with the bow, thinking he was no longer a threat without any arrows. Suddenly, Yuna stepped away from Seymour, and pulled out her staff. To this day, nobody had any idea how she even hide that staff from everyone.

"You would play at marriage just for a chance to send me?" questioned Seymour, "Your resolve is admirable. All the more fitting to be my lovely wife."

Yuna scowled at this, and with grace and determination, started to perform the sending. Seymour looked around calmly to see pyreflies arising from his body. Suddenly, Maester Mika stepped in front of Yuna.  
"Stop!" commanded Mika, shocking Yuna. He calmly walked forward towards her friends before giving her the evil eye. "Do you not value your friends' lives?" he asked, "Your actions determine their fate. Protect them… or throw them away. The choice is yours."

Yuna was completely torn at this decision. She had some hope that Mika would be the one to back her up, that he would help her see what injustice Seymour had done. Only to find out that Mika was in full support of Seymour. She took one glance at her friends, her eyes meeting Tidus. One glance told him everything she felt.

'I'm sorry. I can't let you all die like this.'

Yuna dropped her staff, where it tumbled down to where Tidus was standing.  
"You are wise," taunted Seymour.

Mika stepped back to assume position as the priest of the marriage ceremony. Seymour stepped forwards, putting both his hands on Yuna's shoulder to prevent her from escaping. He raised one hand to touch her cheek. Yuna suppressed a shudder at this. Her first kiss was about to be stolen from a mad man, but she couldn't afford to lose those precious to her. Seymour's face came closer and closer to hers, his lips coming to hers. Rikku wailed, Lulu looked away in disgust, and Wakka tried to say something. Gippal was stuttering, Auron and Kimahri were not , nobody could do anything. Tidus's fist clenched in anger.

Soon, his lips were almost upon hers when someone yelled something out loud, stopping him.

"OBJECTION!"

* * *

 **Andd cliffhanger!**

 **Auron used Overdrive: Shooting Star!**

 **Pain used Overdrive: Whirlwind slash!**

 **Tidus used Overdrive: Energy Rain!**

 **Alright, response to the review. If the readers feel like it, they can read it to. Hopefully, the guest reviewer who took the time to type all that up will be able to read it.**

 **Thanks on the writing format!**

 **Well, Max is his best friend. He does have his own goals, though. A reason I haven't revealed his technology is because if done at such an early time, he'd earn a one way trip to Bevelle prison. Wakka's too much of a religious nut not to do that, along with pretty much every citizen in Spira who believes in Yevon. I do plan to have him expose everything this chapter forward.**

 **Sass: Yea I probably should put him more sassy.**

 **He's mostly crazy about the floor out to get him. He's also crazy when he's busy creating stuff. Like a crazy scientist, considering he builds stuff and it blows up in his face. Outside of that, he's normal.**

 **Same as before, he's using a bow due to Wakka. Plus, it's not like he's not skilled at it. I did put he prefers mid-range to long-range combat. Plus, you can't seriously think I'd have Max use a bow for the whole thing, that would just be completely insulting. The bow does have some *cough* secrets. There's a reason why it's made of metal.**

 **Yes, I probably could have put a better interaction on the desert scene I admit. However, I had already planned out how this would happen *points up to the chapter***

 **The inclusion of Paine and the others also tie into the story. I did put a poll up saying whether I should write in Paine or not. The majority wanted Paine in it, so I put her joining in the group. Originally, it was just going to be a meet and then they go their separate ways. However, each character will play a part, even if it's a small one, in the further chapter. Also already have the end planned out, and trust me, there's no way I'm writing a FFX-2 fanfic for the sequel.**

 **For the blitzball game, yes Tidus could have won it with Wakka's manliness, as you say, but remember in the game, it's a choice to win or lose with no real consequences besides a different cutscene and a Hp sphere. That and if the Luca Goers get the ball first in the game, it becomes hell to try keep them from scoring first. Also, I put in Max as a driving force for their whole strategy. A strategist in a game can make a big difference, as that was his original role with Abes.**

 **You're right that I should differentiate more from the source material. I'll keep that in mind as I continue to write this story. I will point out that from this chapter on, don't expect everything to be the same as the game anymore. Now that Max doesn't have to hold back, he's gonna go places.**

 **Also, it's not like he's being totally denied it. I did write at several points that he crafted some stuff. I also had him give Tidus a buckler with a hand cannon in it, which will come to play soon! The shield and booster were used to let him analyze if the power was enough to handle an attack from Sin.**

 **Overall, though, I do appreciate your criticisms. I'm not stupid enough to think I'm the best writer and doesn't need help from others.**

 **That, and I don't have a beta-reader to point out what I could be doing better on my story. I did send some invites, but nobody responded.**

 **Anyways, expect next chapter to be up on the usual weekly release!**


	31. Chapter 30 Bang!

**I will admit it. I hated the fact that Yuna had to kiss Seymour. So... OBJECTION!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own FFX.**

 **50 Fav, 61 follows, 95 reviews, and over 12.5k views. Cmonnn break 100! Read & Review! Enjoy this chapter. **

* * *

"OBJECTION! HOLD IT!"

Everyone turned to see Max pointing a finger at Seymour with his right hand. Clearly irritated by this distraction, Seymour waved Kinoc to silence the man, permanently. As Kinoc approached Max, he asked, "Any last words?"

"How will you kill me if you can't hold your gun and all your machina stops working?" asked Max.

"Wha-?" stuttered Kinoc when he noticed the bow was still in his hands.  
"You idiots, I told you to have them drop all thei-" Kinoc never finished his sentence.

Suddenly, the balls that Max dropped earlier all opened up at once and crackled with lightning before letting out 2 different pulses of energies. The first pulse was an EMP, completely neutralizing the machina that surrounded them, causing them to crash into the floor. A second pulse swiftly followed it, one of Max's design. Any metallic object would be suddenly charged with electricity, so if someone was holding onto a metallic object without special gloves, they were shocked. Naturally, all the warrior monks carrying a gun and wearing armor found themselves being zapped and stunned. Max, still having his bow on him, swung it at Kinoc, causing all the voltage in his bow to transfer to him and shock him. He then clicked a button hidden in his bow.

The string detached from one end and quickly rolled up into on of the sides. Then, with a swift movement, Max split his bow into two. With a flick of the wrist on both hands, the ends of the bow bend down and transformed. When it was done, Max now had dual pistols in his hands, ready to fire. Using the Overdrive energy, it quickly filled him up to move faster than normal. With his goggles on and targeting system online, he grinned.

"Time to copy something that I saw from a game!"

"Duck!" yelled Tidus. As all the guardians ducked, Max unleashed his Overdrive.

"Weeee!" shouted Max as he spun and shot everything he saw standing.

Bang! Bang Bang Bang! Bang!

With his targeting system, he knew when to shoot to ensure that he did not waste any bullets. Soon, the only people still standing were Yuna's party, Seymour, and Mika. Seymour was growling in anger while Mika looked intrigued and terrified. Max chuckled as he lowered his smoking guns. The guards were lucky that he had targeted crippling spots and not actual kill zones, otherwise, there would be a lot of blood on his hands. Suddenly, even more soldiers started to charge from the aisles.

"Oh c'mon! You guys had to ruin my dramatic finish!" shouted Max as he quickly reloaded.

* * *

"Time to go," said Auron as he suddenly picked up Paine. Gippal took Lulu while Kimahri took Wakka. They all managed had already sheathed their weapon when the pulse bombs hit. Tidus ran up towards Yuna when Seymour took a step towards him, angry at this disruption.

"You! You dirty peasant! I'll-" Seymour never had the chance to finish his sentence due to what happened next.

Tidus aimed his buckler right at Seymour's chest and flicked his wrist down. The muzzle popped out, ready to fire. Seymour's eyes widened as he saw the muzzle, but smirked.

"A mere bullet will not stop me," stated Seymour confidently. Tidus's reply? He shot the explosive round at Seymour, sending him flying off into a wall. It was mere chance that he almost fell off the edge from it. Tidus quickly scooped up Yuna while Rikku, not knowing why everyone was being carried, decided to drop a few flashbangs towards the mob of soldiers incoming before jumping onto Max.

"Stop them!" shouted Mika as they all suddenly jumped off the aisles, free falling to the ground level below.

"What are you guys doing? Are you crazy?" shouted Wakka, who was still being carried by Kimahri.

Yuna wanted to scream, but she trusted Tidus knew what he was doing.

* * *

 _Flashback begins_

In a small room was a meeting between the people who had received backpacks. Max explained what they did, and what they were going to do. Gippal was excited, Tidus had a serious face, while Kimahri and Auron didn't show any emotion.

 _Flashback ends_

* * *

"All right boys! Let's fly!" shouted Max as he opened his arm computer and hit a button.

Suddenly, all the backpacks sprouted wings, and fiery afterburners blazed at the base. It was structured so the fire wouldn't burn the person's back.

Max took lead and made all the jetpacks follow him in a V formation. Gippal was laughing until Lulu slapped him and told him to shut up. He still giggled a little, though, and nobody could really blame him. Flying was so much fun!

"How are we doing this!?" shouted Wakka in fear. Rikku was having too much fun snuggling and enjoying the flight.

Meanwhile, with Yuna was still hugging onto to Tidus tightly and whispered in his ears, "You came for me."

Tidus nodded, "I promised I would always come running to you, Yuna."

Yuna blushed and snuggled closer to Tidus until she remembered there was a temple at Bevelle she needed to pray at and quickly told Tidus.

"Max! We need to make a side stop towards the temple for Yuna!" shouted Tidus.

"Not a good idea man! We need to get out of here!" groaned Max before asking, "Where is it?"

"Over there!" shouted Paine as she pointed the building entrance.

* * *

They all quickly landed on their feet, the jetpacks receding back to their dormant state. Everyone started to run through the building. They saw several machina's in the temple, causing Wakka to lose hope in Yevon even further. Soon, they arrived at the Cloister of Trials. They cheated by using the jetpack to hover over everything and arrived at the entrance, where the Chamber of Fayth was waiting for them. Wakka complained about doing it correctly but was shut down by an almost unanimous vote to just go through it fast so they could escape afterward. After praying at the door for about three seconds, it opened for Yuna. However, Tidus wasn't planning on leaving Yuna's side anytime soon, and walked to follow her in.

"H-Hey!" shouted Wakka.

"You can stuff your taboos!" replied Tidus with a middle finger. Amazingly, Kimahri did nothing to stop him. Soon, the door closed behind them. It was then they had noticed Auron had somehow gone in with them without noticing.

While Tidus and Yuna walked into the Chamber of Fayth, hands held together, Tidus wanted to apologize to Yuna for all the things he said without knowledge of what would if she did defeat Sin. However, he felt like now wasn't the time. They could talk after they got to a safe spot. They finally reached a room where a huge circle with a statue embedded into the ground, where it was glowing in orange. Yuna turned around and kissed Tidus in the cheek as thanks before sitting down to pray. As Tidus watched her pray, he saw a spirit rise above the statue. He recognized the spirit immediately. It was the same dark kid wearing purple clothes that he and Max had seen before they were transported from their home to Spira.

"Wh-What's that?" stuttered Tidus. Surprisingly, instead of Yuna answering it, as she was busy praying, a voice answered him from behind.  
" A fayth. They join with the summoner, and together receive the aeon. They are human souls, imprisoned in stone by ancient Yevon rites."

Tidus turned around to see Auron had also come in. He almost freaked out as he hadn't even known that Auron entered in with them..

"The dead should be allowed to rest," said Auron as he turned around to leave them alone.

The spirit suddenly nodded and flew right towards Yuna, entering in her. She twitched and arched her back at this before collapsing onto the floor.  
"Yuna!" shouted Tidus, worried about her. He quickly felt her pulse, relieved she was all right and picked her up bridal style.

"Everything will be all right, I promise. I won't let you die," whispered Tidus as he proceeded to carry her out.

* * *

 _Back in the waiting room_

Max was getting tired of the situation. Although he was sitting down with Rikku on his lap and cuddling, he was playing twenty questions with almost everyone. They all wanted to know more about his weapons, what else he could do, etc. Gippal was interested along with Rikku, Lulu was slightly intrigued, and Wakka... was still in shock at everything. He originally wanted to call out on Max for using forbidden machina, but certain revelations forced him to put it in the back for now. Paine looked disinterested, but if one observed closely, they could see her paying attention to all of Max's answers. When the door to the fayth opened up, they saw Auron come out of it, who was swiftly followed by Tidus carrying Yuna.

"Is she all right?" asked Max. Tidus nodded in reply and merely stated she was tired after the prayer. Tidus made a note to mention to Max about how the spirit of Bahamut was the same child who they had seen before they were brought to Spira.

"All right. Let's get out of here," said Gippal as he went for the exit. Suddenly, the door opened, and warrior monks all stormed in with their guns trained on them. They couldn't get their weapons out in time, and the look on the monks faces told them any sudden movements would have them kissing their life goodbye.

"Well, crap," exasperated Gippal.

"There's all of them. You are to stand trial," announced Kinoc as he entered the room.  
Auron chuckled dryly at this, "I expect it will be a fair trial."  
"Heh-heh. Of course it will," replied Kinoc sarcastically.

"Yaaa. Fixed trials," said Paine, rolling her eyes.

* * *

 **Max used Overdrive Death Blossom!**

 **Yes, the name is from Overwatch. No, I didn't actually get the idea from the game, but rather I had this one planned out for a long time. Just so happens that Overwatch had it too. This overdrive is actually the alternate form of his second overdive Multishot. It changes depending on what weapon he's using. Bows and arrows, multi shot. Guns, Deathblossom, shoot all over the place.**

 **I know, it's shorter than usual. But, I did release a chapter early. Probably could have done a double release on the same day or combine them, but I felt like the cliffhangers were too hard to resist. Read & Review!**


	32. Chapter 31 Hidden Truth and CHAOS

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFX**

 **Finally! 100 reviews! 56 Favs! 65 Follows! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Yevon was kind enough to allow Yuna to change back to her old clothing. However, everything else was confiscated. All their weapons were gone, Tidus's buckler was taken, and Max went through the most intensive body search he had ever felt. His weapons were obviously taken, his belt pouches confiscated, and he was ordered to strip naked to make sure he had nothing else on him. The only thing he had left on him was his clothes, goggles, and arm computer. Even his greaves were taken from him. Max thanked to the heavens that the goggles weren't taken, it was very close, though. His arm computer was thought to just be a simple armor, due to how well he designed it to be deceiving.

His heart almost stopped when the guards started hitting it with hammers just to make sure. Luckily, he had created the outer layer to be able to take an impact. When he finally got it back, he took a quick peek and frowned to see that the screen was cracked. It was still usable, but some major repairs were needed. He debated on just swapping it over for a holo screen. He had the blueprints for it, and had plans to actually make it until Sin came. Since then, he just didn't have the time and materials to make it.

* * *

Soon, the trial was underway. Yuna stood in the middle of the room, on a platform, being charged as the perpetrator. Max, Tidus, and the others stood on another platform to the side. However, instead of an open audience, only four maesters stood their to pass judgement. It was a closed trial, where no secrets could be revealed. Max smirked at this. It wouldn't be closed for long as he secretly pressed a few button to start recording and streaming this.

A Ronso Maester stood in front of the podium and announced, "The High Court of Yevon is now in session. The sacred offices of this court seek nothing but absolute truth, in Yevon's name. To those on trial: Believe in Yevon, and speak only the truth."  
"Maester Kelk Ronso," whispered Lulu to Max and Tidus, knowing they had no idea who he was.  
"Summoner Yuna. You have sworn to protect the people of Yevon, true?" asked maester Kelk  
"Yes," Yuna succinctly replied.  
"Then, consider: You have inflicted dire injury upon Maester Seymour Guado…conspired with the Al Bhed and joined in their insurrection. These are traitorous and unforgivable crimes that disturb the order of Yevon. Tell this court what possessed you to participate in such violence," stated Kelk gravely, wanting to know the truth.  
"Your Grace…" replied Yuna, gaining confidence in her voice when she took a peak at Tidus, "The real traitor is Maester Seymour! He killed his father Jyscal with his own hands!"  
"What is this!" shouted Kelk in disbelief.  
Seymour nonchalantly shrugged and glanced at Kelk, "Hmm? Hadn't you heard?"

Kelk was in disbelief that Jyscal, an old friend of his, had been murdered by his own son, and yet the murderer showed no guilt. What was worse was that all the other maesters already knew the truth and still let it go. Kelk shelved that information for later, as he had confidence that there was a reason why.

"Not only that…," continued Yuna, "Maester Seymour is already dead!"  
Lulu decided she needed to add her voice to convince the Maesters, "It is a summoner's sacred duty to send the souls of the departed to the Farplane! Yuna was only doing her job as a summoner!"  
"Grand Maester Mika…," pleaded Yuna, looking at him straight in his eyes, "Please, send Seymour now!"  
"Send the unsent to where they belong?" asked Mika. Yuna nodded at this. At that answer, Mika chuckled ominously, causing everyone to feel a bit nervous.  
"Maester?" Yuna questioned him.  
"Send the dead…hmm?" said Mika, repeating his sentence from earlier. Suddenly, he began to fade a bit and pyreflies emerged from his body, "You would have to send me, too."  
"What!" shouted Wakka.

* * *

"Oh CMON!" shouted Gippal. He wanted to join the Crusaders to help Yevon only to find out they were truly backstabbers.  
"Grand Maester Mika is a wise leader. Even in death, he is invaluable to Spira," explained Kelk, undisturbed by this.  
"Enlightened rule by the dead is preferable to the misguided failures of the living," commented Kinoc.  
"Life is but a passing dream, but the death that follows is eternal," added Seymour.  
"Men die. Beasts die. Trees die. Even continents perish. Only the power of death truly commands in Spira. Resisting its power is futile," said Mika, finishing sum of all the maester's thoughts.  
"But what of Sin?" asked Yuna, panicking and becoming desperate. All the image of Yevon was cruelly shattering before her eyes. "I am a summoner, my lord, like my father before me! I am on a pilgrimage to stop the death that Sin brings. Are you… Are you telling me that, too, is futile? Grand Maester Mika, I am not alone! All the people who have opposed Sin… Their battles, their sacrifices– were they all in vain?"  
"Not in vain," replied Mika, shaking his head, "No matter how many summoners give their lives, Sin cannot be truly defeated. The rebirth cannot be stopped. Yet the courage of those who fight gives the people hope. There is nothing futile in the life and death of a summoner."

'Sounds pretty futile and stupid to me,' thought Max, grinning as he was recording and streaming this.  
"Never futile… but never ending," summarized Auron.  
"Indeed, that is the essence of Yevon," acknowledged Mika. "Yevon is embodied by eternal, unchanging continuity, summoner."  
"No…that can't be right!" cried out Yuna.  
"Those who question these truths– they are traitors!" decried Mika. Yuna was falling to her knees, crying at this revelation. She, however, wasn't the only one. Gippal and Paine were in shock. This is who they served for? Lulu and Wakka felt despair. How could this be true? Every person in Spira hoped Sin would be vanquished, only to find out that Sin would never die? Auron and Kimahri were stoic not letting any emotion out, although if one was to pay attention, their hands were in a tight grip.  
However, once again, someone who had been playing too much lawyer games decided to intervene.

* * *

"OBJECTION!" shouted Max.

Everyone turned around to face him. Seymour was getting sick of hearing that word, and especially Max. He couldn't decide who was higher on his to-kill list, Max or Tidus.

"What is it now, foolish plebian?" sneered Seymour.

"Just a few questions before you guys decide to sentence us to death," replied Max.

"Since you acknowledge your sins... speak your word," said Mika.

"All right, only got 4 I promise I won't go over that," thanked Max, "Operation Mi'ihen. Do you acknowledge that it was a futile attempt to kill Sin and that it was used to garner more people for Yevon?"

"Of course," chuckled Kinoc. "I oversee the Crusaders. It was a win-win situation. If Sin somehow dies, Yevon gains glory. If it fails, Yevon gains more believers."

"All right, fair enough. Second question! Do all the Guado know you killed your own father Seymour?" asked Max.

"Hmph. Those foolish race believe anything I say. I told the majority that he died of natural death. Only a select few warriors and Tromell knows the truth," replied Seymour.

"Huh. Interesting," contemplated Max. "Kelk. Do you truly believe that Spira must keep to the old ways and always heed the words of some old geezer?"

Mika looked furious being called that, but decided to let that go. Afterall, these people would be dead soon.

Kelk responded, "It is always wise to heed the advice of those older than you. After all, they have experienced more of life."

Surprisingly, Tidus argued on this one. "Yea, but if those advice are horrible, then forget about it. A common phrase I used to hear was 'Out with the old, in with the new'. That means we can't hold on to the old ways forever, otherwise we'll never find new paths!"

Max nodded at that, "True everything dies, but at the same time, when they die, they also give birth to new life!"

Kelk looked thoughtful at that while the other three just hrumphed. Knowing he was about to send them to their death by Via Purifco, Mika asked, "And what is your last question before we sentence you to your demise?"

Max looked around a little before grinning widely. The maesters didn't like that smile at all.

"How well do you guys handle civil wars and chaos in Yevon?" was the last question.

"What type of foolish question is th-?" Mika never got to finish his sentence as a door burst open.

"Maester! There's a riot out in Bevelle! And it's not only in it, but other cities like Luca are also rioting against Yevon!"

Mika quickly turned to Max and yelled, "What have you done heretic?!" The rage on his face was palpable.

Max grinned, "I may have recorded all of this conversation and let the whole world see the true face of Yevon. I'm sure they're not happy."

To say the people of Spira weren't happy was an understatement. They were filled with indescribable rage. What had happened was during the Pilgrimage, Max had dropped transmitters near each sphere television that would receive a signal from Max's computer. The transmitter would then hijack the T.V and play out what Max was streaming, showing it to everyone. He created these at Djose temple, but had Nooj bring a transmitter towards Luca. Nooj, seeing no harm in it, honored his word and did what he was told.

* * *

 _At Luca_

"NOOOOO!"

"Those murderous backstabbers!"

"They betrayed their own teachings like it was nothing!"

"I blamed the Al Bhed for the failure of Operation Mi'ihen. Now I know who is truly to blame!"

The remnants of the Crusaders had mostly gathered at Luca, where they were protecting the city. They had slowly been gathering together under the banner of Nooj, who was the next leader when they saw this broadcast. At first, they thought it was an Al Bhed trick, but as time went on, they knew this was no trick. Hearts and hope were shattered at Mika's word, rage at Kinoc. Max had even included video feed of Bevelle soldiers using forbidden machina to fight for them.

"We fought for them, and this is how they repay us!" shouted Gatta. Luzzu was shaking in rage. All those deaths during the operation had all been for Yevon to gather more believers.

Nooj stepped up a platform with a loudspeaker, gathering everyone's attention.

"This is Yevon's true face now! In the past, they may have been righteous, but now, they are filled with absolute corruption. They were about to make Lady Yuna, a summoner, their scapegoat! I, for one, will not stand for this! I plan on marching right towards Bevelle to rescue her while bringing this corrupt order down! Whose with me?!"

"I stand with you!" shouted Luzzu as he took up the stage. He explained to everyone the truth behind the blue shield miracle that the people dubbed. With this truth, even more people wanted to save them.

All the Crusaders yelled loudly, stating they were going with him. Even citizens were preparing to go with them.

"I hope Lady Yuna and her guardians are all right," said Letty, watching the broadcast. The Aurochs had come to Luca to test out their new players. They weren't the only one, though. Almost every team was now having at least 3 other players as backup.

"Captain Wakka, Tidus, and strategist Max will find a way," replied Datto, but without confidence.

"Trust in them."

The Aurochs turned around to see the Goers standing behind them.

Graav walked forward and said, "Those three are the main reason why we lost. I have no doubt they will find a way to get out with Lady Yuna."

Bickson was next, "Tidus is the only one who was strong enough to defeat me. He'll do something," He then scowled at his memory. He hated Tidus, but at the same time respected his skills at Blitzball.

Graav nodded, "In blitzball, we may be enemies, but in this case, we all stand together."

* * *

 _Djose temple_

Not many people were there, but the few who were there were so mad that they started to attack the temple. Some of the priests also rebelled against Yevon.

* * *

 _Moonflow_

The Hypello really didn't do much, but they took out Yevon from their sponsors.

* * *

 _Guadosalam_

It was a civil war that erupted from there. Civilians and warriors not in on Seymour's secret were horrified at this and the way Seymour acted as if he didn't care. They tore into his mansion, burning all his stuff. They didn't burn down the mansion in respect to all the past Guado leaders that had lived there. Anyone part of Seymour's little group at Guadosalam were promptly killed.

* * *

 _Around Bevelle &Macalania_

"This is what we fought for? A corrupt group who see's us as toys to throw away?!" growled Lucil. She soon led all remaining Crusaders and warrior monks who were also disgusted by this to attack Bevelle.

* * *

 _Airship at a huge flat patch of land_

"But, what about our dreams! The hope that the world can live without worry of Sin!?" cried out Issaru. His group had been ready to head to Bevelle to finish their training when they saw the broadcast at the airship's main screen.

Donna was in shock as she crumpled down onto the floor. She was shaking like crazy until her guardian Barthello came up to her and hugged her. The Al Bhed had been kind enough to find Barthello in the woods running, desperate to find her, and lead him back to her.

"Thank you Barthello," said Donna, relishing in the warmth of her guardian. She soon started crying in his masculine chest.

Cid was not amused at Yevon's revelations.

"I want those engines repaired! Weapons checked out! We're going in to rescue them, and whoever's in our way, blast them apart!"

* * *

 _Back to the trial room_

"Kill them!" shouted Mika.

However, the door suddenly opened again, this time the person who came in was someone the group recognized. It was Baralai! With his staff and two hoops at the end, he quickly knocked out the other guards that was there.

"Quickly! Let's get out of here!" shouted Baralai. When he saw the broadcast, he knew there was only one thing to do. Bust them out.

Nodding, everyone rushed out and followed Baralai. Yuna jumped from the stand she was at, and Tidus caught her before lowering her down to run. It was chaos everywhere. Soldiers still loyal to Yevon were trying to maintain control, but with a growing number of people fighting, they didn't have any time to pay attention at who was running. Baralai quickly led them to a room where all their weapons and Max's utility belt and greaves were at. After quickly grabbing their stuff and equiping them, they followed Baralai.

On the way, Baralai mentioned about their backpacks in a different room, but they had no time. Max chuckled in reply and told him not to worry. He typed in a few commands on his arm computer before shutting it down. In the room where all the jetpacks were, they suddenly blew up.

They managed to make it to a long runway that led to Macalania wood. Surprisingly, it was empty, with nobody on it. Not questioning their luck, they ran. However, Seymour and Kinoc, along with three Guado soldiers, came out of hiding and stopped them in their path.

"Give up," said Kinoc.

In reply, everyone drew out their weapon.

"So be it," said Kinoc. However, before he could draw his weapon, he suddenly froze before coughing out blood. He looked back to see a dagger stabbed into his back and into his heart. He took a few steps forward and started to fall forward. Auron saw this and quickly ran to catch his old friend.

"Kinoc!" yelled Auron. Kinoc was losing blood fast and his life was fading away from him.

"Why, you!" snarled Tidus.

"I have saved him," explained Seymour, "He was a man who craved power. And great power he had, but he feared losing it. Trembling at unseen enemies, he spent his days scheming petty schemes. Chased by his fears, never knowing rest. You see… Now, he has no worries. He has been granted sleep eternal. Death is a sweet slumber. All the pain of life is gently swept away… Ah, yes. So you see…if all life were to end on Spira, all suffering would end. Don't you see? Do you not agree?"

Kinoc coughed out some blood, prompting Auron to tell Kinoc to keep holding on to life while asking Yuna to heal him. However, he knew a strike to the heart meant no magic could heal him. Still, Yuna was about to try when Kinoc waved her off, telling her it was too late. He gave Auron one last look, and told him "I'm sorry, old friend. I let power corrupt me. This position should have been yours if it wasn't for that incident. Goodbye." With his last breath, and closed his eyes and slept, never to awaken. Auron, Baralai, Paine, and Gippal felt sorry for the man. He may had tried to kill them, but in the end he was able to find his way back from corruption.

With his last breath, and closed his eyes and slept, never to awaken. Auron, Baralai, Paine, and Gippal felt sorry for the man. He may had tried to kill them, but in the end, he was able to find his way back from corruption.

Seymour looked disgusted at Kinoc before looking straight at Yuna, ignoring everybody else, "That, Yuna, is why I need you. Come, Lady Yuna. Come with me to Zanarkand, the lost city of the dead. With death on our side, we will save Spira, and for this…I will take from you your strength, Yuna, your life, and become the next Sin. I will destroy Spira! I will save it! "

"You're totally nuts!" shouted Tidus. Gippal and Max shouted in agreement.

Kimahri had a different answer. Instead, he charged at Seymour and stabbed him in the chest. However, no blood seemed to flow out of that wound.

'Oh, right, he's already dead. No bloodflow,' thought Max.

Seymour looked down at the halberd in disgust. "Unpleasant… Very well. I will give you your death. You seem to want it so." He raised his staff to the sky.

The attendants that were with him suddenly glowed before disappearing, dispersing into pyreflies.. Seymour seemed to absorb them, and transformed into a hideous form of himself. Somehow, Kinoc wasn't absorbed, though. Before them all, was Seymour Natus now. He floated in the air, and some sort of demonic snake on his shoulder.  
"Run! Protect Yuna!" shouted Kimahri, his halberd ready.  
"Go!" commanded Auron.  
Tidus shook his head in reply, "No way! I'm fighting!" Max nodded when Auron suddenly pointed his sword at their face, and said sternly "I said go!"

"Don't worry about Kimahri, we'll back him up," said Gippal as he got his weapon out, along with Baralai.

* * *

Seeing no option, everybody ran towards the other end of the were about to make it out of the bridge, and perhaps hide in the woods, when Yuna suddenly stopped. Everyone halted to see what was wrong.  
"I won't leave Kimahri behind! And I won't let Gippal and Baralai be left behind either!" stated Yuna.  
"He is a guardian. Protecting you is everything. Gippal and Baralai are acting upon their own conscious to make sure you get away," replied Auron, trying to explain what needed to be done. Yuna protested against this.  
"That's right! We're all guardians! Yeah, and you know what that means?" said Tidus. Everyone looked at him in confusion, except for Max and Yuna, who grinned. "Yuna… Anywhere you go, I'll follow!"  
"Anywhere I go?" said Yuna.  
"Yeah, anywhere!" replied Tidus, smiling.  
"Well, then!" smirked Yuna.

"Let's go!" they both stated at the same time, as if in the same wavelength. They charged right back to fight Seymour.  
"Hey! Wait for me!" yelled Wakka.  
"Cmon Rikku! We can't let them have all the fun!" said Max as Rikku nodded, both of them running together.  
Lulu grinned apologetically towards Auron before stating her intentions to follow.

"Let's go, uncle. You have to admit, beating up Seymour is very tempting," said Paine. Auron snorted in amusement before hefting his sword to follow.

* * *

 **Hope you've enjoyed this chapter.** **Debating on whether or not I'll write in Yojimbo and the cave he's in. I'm not doing extra summons unless I get a lot of requests for Anima and the rest of the optional aeons.**


	33. Chapter 32 FTD Again! And Aftermath

**Disclaimer: Don't own FFX**

 **Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it. I am trying to break away from the original, though it might still follow some of it. I left a specific scene alone, because, really, who would tamper such a scene.**

 **61 fav, 68 follows, 107 reviews, and over 15k views. Yaaaaa!**

* * *

"Eat this! Mortar Rain!" shouted Gippal. He shot his gun into the air, and they came back down as mortars, hitting Seymour. Seymour scoffed as he cast _Thundara_ on Gippal, then on Baralai. Kimahri came swinging with his halberd to stop Seymour from attacking, but it was not an easy task. The snake known as Mortibody would also cast spells to distract them all.

"This isn't going well," said Baralai.

"What gave it away?" said Gippal sarcastically, sporting heavy injuries. "I wish I was healed up from that jerk's attack."

Suddenly, a white glow was over him, and his injuries were healed. Gippal looked up to the heavens, "Thank you, whoever is up there."

"You idiot, that was a _Cura_ ," said Baralai. Then, they saw Yuna with her staff out, casting _Cura_ on all three of them.

"I thought we told you to leave!" said Baralai.

Yuna shook her head, "I refuse to leave while my guardian and my friends fight for me."

Seymour turned around to face her, and said, "It is good to see you again, Lady Yuna, but you don't seem pleased…"  
"I'll only be pleased when you're gone to the Farplane!" replied Yuna angrily. Seymour raised his hand and was about to cast a spell when a bullet hit him in the chest. Seymour looked irritated and saw Max had shot him.

"So you wish for to be free from this life then?" asked Seymour.

"Na, just free from your ugly face," responded Max as he shot another bullet to the head. It hit, but it didn't go all the way through. Nevertheless, it irritated Seymour. Then, he raised his arm to block an overhead slash from Tidus. Tidus gritted his teeth and then kicked Seymour in the face to recover some distance. During this time, Kimahri, Gippal, and Baralai managed to regroup with them. Auron calmly stepped forward, sword hefted over his shoulder.

"Although he was not the one man I knew…," stated Auron, "Kinoc was still my friend, Seymour! You will pay for his death!" Most were surprised that Auron was capable of such anger. He charged forward while Lulu cast _Thundara_ on Seymour. With all his strength, he managed to make a deep gash on Seymour's chest. Gasping from the pain, he backed off while the Mortibody attacked Auron, forcing to back off. The Mortibody cast _Fire,_ hitting everyone. They used this time to get into position. Auron, Tidus, Paine, and Kimahri served as the vanguard and attacked. Wakka, Gippal, and Max served as mid-range. Yuna was support, and Lulu was long range cast. Rikku and Baralai served as guerrilla, switching from front to support.

* * *

It was a tedious battle. With Seymour's use of casting spells at rapid pace and the Mortibody helping, they couldn't deal any real damage to it.

"I'm getting tired of looking at that snake!" shouted Max as he decided to aim for it. Wakka nodded and followed up with an attack to it, too. The snake took major damage and was about to die when it suddenly absorbed life from Seymour directly to keep itself alive.

Tidus grinned when he saw this and shouted, "Max, focus on the Mortibody! Paine, Baralai, we'll also go for that! Everybody else just wail on Seymour!"

With this strategy, the fight became easier as the Mortibody kept absorbing more and more of Seymour's health like a parasite. Yuna decided to try to end this.

"Everyone, I'm going to summon Bahamut!"

Everyone nodded and backed off immediately.

The 4 summoning lights arose from beneath Yuna. Then, she started to twirl her staff in front of her for a bit. A fierce roar could be heard from the distance as if to answer her call. The skies darkened, and the summoning circle appeared in the sky. Suddenly, a dark figure pierced right through it, diving down so fast that it was a blur. As the aeon approached ground level. The aeon spread it's colorful but majestic wings to slow itself down. A huge dragon-like human figure stood with its chest and head held high as it roared to the heavens. Max and Tidus were in awe of this summon.

"Bahamut, the King of Dragons, with his aeon standing for light. Truly a majestic aeon that shines upon everyone. It does non-elemental damage, meaning nobody is resistant to it," said Lulu, explaining it to Max and Tidus. They could only nod at this.

Bahamut looked at Seymour before channeling its power. 5 dark blue orbs formed around it before Bahamut shot it right at Seymour, causing explosions and heavily damaging Seymour.

"All right, we got this now!" said Gippal.

Seymour, however, raised his hand right towards the aeon and channeled some energy.

"Death awaits you!"

By some unknown force, Bahamut was suddenly hit by a spell and was on its knee. Pyreflies started to come out as it was forcefully banished away. Everyone was surprised at this sudden turn of events.

"Dammit Gippal, you had to jinx it!" shouted Paine.

Gippal could only whimper at this. Yuna was about to summon another one when Baralai shouted, "Don't! He's a maester, so he might know some trick to banish aeons before they can fully attack!"

Yuna nodded and went back to healing duty and casting null spells. Everyone charged back into formation. Lulu, having gathered enough Overdrive energy, used it to cast multiple instances of _Fira_ at once. Taking advantage of this, Rikku threw her knives right into Seymour's chest. Seymour was confused why the Al Bhed girl would do such a futile act when he was suddenly shocked by 20,000 volts going through his body. There were strings attached to Rikku's knives, and Rikku used a machina that Max had made for her to channel electricity through the strings and into the knives. Grinning, Rikku pulled her knives away just as Auron and Kimahri slashed down with their weapons.

* * *

"Enough! I've had it with you peasants. Everyone except Yuna will die!" screamed Seymour as he channeled his magic within him. The magic transferred to the Mortibody, who cast _Desperado_ and shot them all towards the vanguard.

"Oh shi-!" shouted Wakka, unable to finish his sentence. The explosion made all of the vanguards fly back, the mid-rangers falter. As everyone was stumbling, Tidus had been the main target for the attack, so he went flying further than any of them. Tidus was rolling with the force and already ready to go back. Tidus shout to Max, and Max instantly knew what he wanted.

"Grab Tidus by his hands!" Max shouted to Gippal and Wakka as he went to distract Seymour. He switched back to his bow form and peppered him with _Thundara_ arrows. Suddenly, as if a miracle, Gippal and Wakka knew what Tidus wanted. They grabbed Tidus by his hands, forcing Tidus to stop rolling back. With all their strengths, they flung him forward before falling down from their throw.

Tidus was in the air when he shouted for Kimahri and Auron, who recovered had already recovered. Both looked up and nodded, running to their position to get ready. Baralai, Paine, Rikku, and Max were keeping Seymour busy from noticing what they were planning. Using the flat sides of their weapon, Tidus landed right on it. Together with all their strength, muscles bulging that veins were popping out, they flung Tidus towards Seymour.

Seymour wasn't holding back anymore and was casting _Flare._ It was only thanks to Rikku spamming her special potions that they were still even alive. When Seymour cast _Break_ and made Paine into a stone, the Mortibody automatically tried to attack her for an instant kill. Luckily, Baralai had enough and pulled out a gun he had been hiding. In terms of stats, Max's was still overall better, but it had a powerful one shot load that prevented the Mortibody from attacking Paine. Rikku already threw a _Soft_ to cure Paine of petrification. Suddenly, they all moved out of the way. Seymour was a little confused when he saw a blur of black and yellow suddenly impact his chest.

Seymour coughed up blood as the blade had managed to penetrate his hard skin and go through all the way. The Mortibody roared and tried to attack Tidus, but he pointed his hand cannon buckler at it and blasted it away. The blade had entered into Seymour and out his back.

"I will not die like this!" he shouted, "I'll take you with me!"

Seymour instantly cast _Flare_ right on his body with all the magic he had left. Surely this would kill Tidus. Suddenly, Tidus was gone! Seymour looked to see Max with his hookshot, pulling Tidus away. The sword was still embedded inside him, but Seymour has already cast his spell. The _Flare_ spell he cast went off, killing himself and turning himself into ashes.

* * *

"Heh, eat that," chuckled Tidus as he went to retrieve his weapon. He found it, but it was completely bent out of shape and partially melted. He turned to Max, his eyes asking if it could be fixed. Max bent down, examining it before shaking his head. The weapon could be broken for parts, but the whole structure was too damaged for him.

"Sorry about the weapon, Wakka. I know it was your brother's but..." said Tidus to Wakka.

Wakka shook his head, "Don't worry about it. Your safe, and that's all it matters."

Still, Max took it, hoping that he could craft a new one for Tidus. He tossed Tidus the baton, allowing Tidus to have some sort of weapon.

"Let's get out of here," stated Paine. "We need to hide for a while. I suggest Macalania woods."

Everyone agreed and rushed away from the bridge and away from Bevelle. Auron gave one last look at Kinoc's body before doing a gesture he had long not done. It was the Yevon's prayer gesture.

* * *

With all the civil war and battles going on, they easily made it out of there and into the woods. There, they all decided to take the time to rest. Max had used his arm computer to contact Cid, telling him they were laying low for a bit, and not to pick them up yet. Cid nodded in reply before warning Max not to do anything inappropriate towards his daughter before signing off.

Auron and Paine checked to see if they were followed before announcing that they were clear. Auron warned them all that Bevelle had to be avoided for the time being, even with the rebellion going on. Noticing Yuna was missing, Auron questioned where she was. Rikku replied from sitting on Max's lap that Yuna wanted to be alone. Auron nodded before plopping down next to a tree trunk. For once, he seemed very tired.

Gippal and Baralai were already asleep. Wakka was having trouble staying awake. Lulu looked like she was fine, but they could tell from her pale face she was also tired. Paine had her eyes closed, but still alert.

"Wonder what Yunie'll do, huh? Think she'll quit her pilgrimage?" asked Rikku to Max and Tidus.  
"That's what you want, right?" replied Tidus.

"Well… If Yunie really wants to keep going, then… I guess I shouldn't stop her, you know? That's what I think, anyway," said Rikku.

"It's up to her. Her faith was shaken tonight," answered Max.

Lulu walked up to Tidus, "Yuna's off in the woods. Kimahri's with her but maybe you should go, too?"

Max chuckled as it seemed like Lulu had accepted the fact that both of them were in love with each other.

"Yea, go get her. She needs you for sure," said Max.

Tidus nodded and walked towards a small lake where Yuna was at. Max decided he needed to walk a little and had Rikku join him.

* * *

Tidus walked passed Kimahri, who nodded and pointed to where Yuna was. She was in the lake, just standing in the water. Suddenly she spoke, sensing Tidus was near her.

"I always thought that this would be easier somehow," said Yuna, "I thought that everyone would help me…with all my friends together beside me. I've been trying so hard." She kept her face devoid of emotion.  
Tidus waded into the water to get closer to her before saying, "Maybe you're trying too hard."  
Tidus sighed as he closed his eyes and said, "They told me…everything. They told both me and Max."  
Yuna quickly whirled around at this. "Everything?" she asked.

Tidus nodded sadly. Yuna turned back to facing the tree she had been staring at.  
"Yeah. I'm sorry," apologized Tidus, Yuna turned around to face him. "It's just you know…all those things I said. Like 'Let's go get Sin!' Or about Zanarkand… I didn't know what would happen to you, Yuna. I guess… I hope it didn't make you sad. Forgive me."  
Yuna shook her head before replying, "I wasn't sad. I was happy." She turned back to staring at the tree. Tidus sighed before swimming in front of Yuna, floating face up.  
"Yuna," called out Tidus, "Just don't do it." He listed out reasons and how everyone would have her back. Auron would need convincing, but Tidus was sure with him and Max, they would bring Auron to see their way.  
"What'll I do if I give up my pilgrimage?" asked Yuna.  
"Hey! Zanarkand! Let's go to Zanarkand!" shouted Tidus. Yuna tilted her head, looking confused. Noticing his mistake, he quickly waved his hands, "Not the one in Spira, the one I'm from. Yeah, we can all fly there. Max can fly us there! Everyone can go! Then we'll have a big party at my place!"  
"And then we could see blitzball!" said Yuna, joining in on the idea. Tidus grinned as he told her that his team would play for her, with Max as the strategist.  
"Well, what about after the game?" asked Yuna.  
"We'd go out and have fun! Max could bring some of his stuff! He has lots of entertaining inventions!"

"Inventions?" asked Yuna.

"Oh right. Max is actually a machina specialist. He invents stuff. But they're not all dangerous. Some of them are fun! Like the jetpacks! We could party after the game!"

Yuna was a bit shocked at this but decided to shelve that for later.  
"In the middle of the night?" asked Yuna in amazement.  
"No problem!" replied Tidus, "Zanarkand never sleeps! Let's go to the sea, before the sunrise. The city lights go out one by one. The stars fade… Then the horizon glows, almost like it's on fire. It's kinda rose-colored, right? First in the sea, then it spreads to the sky, then to the whole city. It gets brighter and brighter, till everything glows. It's really…pretty. I know you'd like it."  
"I'd like to see it, someday," said Yuna, her face away from Tidus.  
"Well you can, Yuna. We can both go!" said Tidus. Then he heard a sniffle and felt a ripple in the water. He quickly turned around to see Yuna crying.  
"Yu…?" asked Tidus hesitantly.  
"I can't. I just can't! I can't go!" sobbed out Yuna, dams pouring out. Every emotion she had bottled in was now pouring couldn't abandon her duty. Not, after all, those long days of training. All those time, wishing to end Sin and bring Spira a time of peace and hopefully stopping it from coming back. But at the same time, she now knew the truth behind Yevon, and all the hopelessness it had given her.

"Yuna," said Tidus softly as he grasped her shoulders.

Yuna, still crying, looked up to face him. Even with tears streaking down her face, Tidus still thought she was the most beautiful girl he ever met. He closed the gap between them and kissed her on the lips.

Yuna was surprised, eyes opened wide before slowly shutting them, returning the kiss with eager passion, enjoying it. This was what she wanted her first kiss to be with. It felt completely amazing, everything she ever wished for a kiss. She was so thankful Max had intervened when Seymour was about to steal her first kiss.

Slowly, the couple sank down into the water, still kissing each other. Their hands clasped onto each other as they leaned back to look at each other in the face. What had been sadness was replaced with love and tenderness. Eager for more, this time, Yuna was the one who initiated the kiss. Tidus was eager to respond, and a tongue flickered out his mouth to lick her lips. Feeling it, Yuna shyly opened her mouth to allow it entrance. Their tongues danced with each other while they were still tightly together. They spent the hour just basking in each other's presence and kissing.

* * *

Max had gone out for a walk, and Rikku joined him. As they were walking, they decided to talk more about the future.

"I doubt Yuna will give up so easily," said Max.

"I know..." replied Rikku. She really wanted to save her cousin but wasn't willing to hold her against her will.

"There has to be another way," remarked Max.

"How? Sin's been around for so long!" said Rikku.

"Yea, but nobody's ever tried. They've all stuck to tradition. It's one of the reasons why I chose to be an inventor. To challenge tradition, challenge anything in life. What people say can't be done, I'll make it and try to prove them wrong!' declared Max fiercely.

Rikku smiled at this as she leaned him to kiss him on the cheek and responded, "I hope your right."

Max smirked, "I know I'm right. And I know Tidus won't let Yuna go. He's just as stubborn as I am in these cases, maybe even more."

They walked back to camp, arms linked together. They shared one last kiss on the lips before returning back to everyone.

* * *

Tidus and Yuna sat on the shore near the lake. They had kissed for so long and so much that they needed some air. As they sat on the ground, their hands were still linked to one another. Finally, Yuna spoke up.

"I'll continue," she said, " I must. If I give up now… I could do anything I wanted to, and yet… Even if I was with you, I could never forget."  
Tidus sighed but nodded. He knew he couldn't convince her out of this. It was just part of her nature, to see things through the end. Instead, he made up his mind, "I'll go with you."  
"Wha?" asked Yuna, confused. She thought for sure that he wouldn't want to see her die.  
"I'm your guardian," said Tidus, leaving the boyfriend part out for now, "Unless I'm…fired?"  
Yuna chuckled and shook her head, "Stay with me until the end. Please," She bowed down for this request.  
"Not until the end…," replied Tidus, "Always."  
"Always, then," answered Yuna. Their bodies came close together for another hug and kiss. Kimahri, who was watching in the background, gave a rare grin that nobody saw and left. He trusted Tidus.  
"Maybe you should head back to camp first," suggested Yuna. She wasn't too keen about revealing their relationship to everyone. Tidus nodded and started to walk back. Suddenly, he heard Yuna whistle and rushed back to see if there was anyone wrong. Yuna grinned and made up her mind.  
"Wait, I'll go with you," said Yuna as she grabbed his hand. They both smiled and walked back to camp, hands clasped together as if announcing their relationship.

They arrived at camp to see everyone looking at them. Max smirked and held out his hand. Gippal grumbled as he gave him 50 gils, losing his bet. Yuna reluctantly let go of Tidus's hand to talk to everyone.

"Everyone, we leave at dawn. And…I'm sorry for putting you all through this," she announced as she gave a deep bow. "And…um…"  
"Enough," commanded Auron, "You need your rest."  
"Yes. But one more thing. Gippal, Baralai, what do you guys plan to do now?" asked Yuna.  
Baralai leaned back, giving it some thought. Gippal, however, grinned.

"I wanna go with you guys. Might be a bit late to apply for guardianship, but I wanna join. Plus, someone's gotta watch Max and Rikku."

"Hey!" shouted Max and Rikku.

Deciding to get revenge later, Max decided to add to the plan, "Why don't we just fly to Zanarkand? We have a ship, and I'm still in contact with Cid. Plus, we need a new weapon for Tidus, and I need to resupply and recheck my weapons."

"She won't let us in that way," said Auron immediately, shutting down Max's plans.

Everyone pestered Auron for more information, but he remained silent. Seeing no point, everyone went to sleep. Tidus sat next to Yuna, who automatically put her head on his shoulder and fell asleep. Tidus merely grinned before putting his head on her head and falling asleep too. Their hand was still clasped together. Rikku and Max laid down on the floor, cuddling each other. Lulu took a look at the couples that had formed and glanced at Wakka. Sighing and making up her mind, she sat down right next to Wakka, who was surprised, but not complaining.

"Say anything and I'll incinerate," said Lulu as she put her head on his shoulder.

"Yes ma'am," said Wakka respectfully, just enjoying the warmth she was providing. They soon both fell asleep. Everyone had gone to sleep except for Auron and Kimahri. Auron was relaxing, but still aware of his surroundings. Kimahri had one eye open while sleeping, ready for anything.


	34. Chapter 33 News & Ronso Problems

**Happy Thanksgiving everyone!**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own FFX**

* * *

Everyone woke up, fresh from the day before. After eating a quick breakfast and getting cleaned up, they all departed from Macalania Woods. They managed to find another sphere Jecht had left behind and laughed when they saw Jecht trying to get a picture, only to be nearly zapped by lightning. It was also one of the few times they saw Auron actually laugh. As they got out of the woods, they were at a land the plains seem to expand endlessly.

"The Calm Lands. Long ago, the high summoners fought Sin here. The road ends here. Beyond, there are no towns, no villages. Only endless plains," explained Lulu to the two non-native people.  
"Many summoners stray from their path and lose their way here," said Auron, adding to the explanation.  
Yuna just lied down on the grass, enjoying the wind and the grass on her back, "I've always known where to go."  
Tidus walked over next to her to enjoy the view before offering her his hand to pull her back up. As he pulled her up, he made another promise to her, "I… I won't let you die. I'll find a way, somehow."

"We'll find a way," said Max. Tidus looked to Max and grinned.

"Together, then. We'll end this stupid cycle," said Tidus.

They walked through the seemingly endless plains and decided to take a quick break when they saw one of Rin's store right in the middle of the plains. At first, they questioned why he would choose such a place. Then, they decided it wasn't a bad spot for help summoners and their guardians to restock on what they need. As they were taking a break, they saw a priest walking up to them and drew their weapons as a precautionary measure. As the priest got closer, Wakka and Lulu recognized him.

"Father Zuke!" yelled Lulu in disbelief.  
"Long time no see," replied Zuke respectfully. He turned around to look at the rest, briefly pausing at Yuna before stopping at Tidus and Max.  
"You are Yuna's guardians? The ones the Yevon has named 'Mobocracy Max' and 'Turmoil Tidus'?" asked Zuke.  
"Huh?" asked Max and Tidus, heads tilted in confusion.  
"Please, tell us what has happened!" requested Yuna.  
Zuke shook his head at that question and answered, "It would be easier to tell you what hasn't happened."

He took a deep breath before continuing, "Yevon, or Old Yevon as we all call it now, has fallen. Due to those videos, riots were common place everywhere. Bevelle was invaded by almost everyone. Maester Mika has been imprisoned to stand trial. Later, we will send him to where he belongs after we get all the information from him. From what I understand, the new leader is Nooj. Maester Kelk Ronso left Yevon before all this rebellion reached to the heart of Bevelle.

"Cool, Nooj is the leader now. He always did make good leadership material," commented Gippal.

"Indeed," replied Zuke, "He has already organized most of the chaos that those two brought. Still, this event has brought many fears to the people of Spira, now. It is not so easily quenched. He did say he was hoping two of his friends would help. I also come with a warning. Some of Old Yevon has escaped imprisonment, and will be looking for revenge."  
"Thank you, Father Zuke, for your warning," said Yuna as she bowed.  
"Father, you came all the way here just to tell us this?" asked Lulu.  
"To tell the truth," replied Zuke, "I was a little curious to see… this summoner you are guarding as well as the guardians who brought the truth out of Yevon. I hope her pilgrimage goes well. For your sake, too."  
"Thank you, Father," said Lulu.  
"I must be off. I shall pray for all of you," said Zuke as he bowed down in respect.

"Wait, Father Zuke," said Baralai. "I'll come with you. Nooj will probably need someone who knows Bevelle well."

As he walked forward, he turned around, "I guess this is goodbye for now."

Everyone nodded and waved/bowed. Gippal was waving until...

"You're coming with me too!" shouted Baralai as he dragged Gippal by his ears.

"Ow! OWOWOWOW! Cmon don't do this to me! Whose going to watch over Rikku and Max?" begged Gippal as Baralai dragged him on the ground.

"They can take care of themselves. We need to help Nooj," replied Barali without any remorse. They all said their goodbyes and Zuke left with Baralai, who was still dragging Gippal.

"Who was that?" asked Tidus.  
"Until half a year ago, he was a summoner. Wakka and I were his guardians," explained Lulu. "He gave up halfway. Here, on this plain. Now, he is a monk at the Bevelle temple."

As they all rested up, Rikku was still worried about Yuna. Max managed to calm her down, telling her there wasn't enough information to go by yet, and that everything would fall into place. Rikku smiled and gave him a kiss before relaxing. After restocking on their items, they left to continue onward. Kimahri made a comment saying that their next location would be Mt. Gagazet, his old home.

* * *

When they finally found their way out of the Calm Lands, they saw the bridge that would lead them to Mt. Gagazet. Suddenly, from the path underneath the bridge, two Guado's walked up.

"I swear if you say Seymour's name twice, I will shoot you!" shouted Max, giving them a warning.

"Summons from Lord Seymour. Come with us!" commanded the Guado, ignoring Max's warning. Max growled and muttered, "That's one."

"We have nothing to discuss with Seymour!" replied Yuna sternly.

"Lord Seymour's com-," began the Guado.

BANG!

The Guado never got to finish his sentence as a bullet had just gone through his head, stopping all thoughts. He collapsed. The second Guado looked nervously at Max, who had his gun out, with smoke coming out of it.

"I warned you guys," replied Max coldly.

The other Guado looked nervously but decided to continue on, "His commands must be obeyed! You will come!"

Max sighed, "Dammit, can't shoot him because he didn't say the name."

However, Lulu decided that it was good enough and cast _Firaga_ on the Guado, instantly killing him.

"What?" asked Lulu when everyone stared at her."He was annoying me this time."

As they were about to cross the bridge, Tidus noticed that there was a pathway down, where the Guado had come from. He also noticed a deactivated machina just sitting there. The Guado must have planned on using it, but never got the chance. Max noticed it too and grinned.

"Hey! What's down there?" asked Tidus. Everyone paused to look down. Nobody really knew. Nobody except for Lulu.

"That way leads down to the valley," said Lulu. "To a cave. A fayth is inside that cave, but so are the fiends."

Everyone gasped at this. Another fayth, but not in a temple and part of Yevon?

"Should we go down there?" asked Paine. Everyone turned to look at Yuna for the final decision. Yuna breathed in deeply and nodded. If she could get as many summons, then it might improve her training, even if she had already met the requirements.

"Uhh sorry to interrupt, but let's get to Mt. Gagazet first. Kimahri told me there's a forge there, and I want to craft a weapon for Tidus. Can't let him be stuck with a baton, and he can't be entirely reliant on the hand cannon," interrupted Max.

Everyone's lightbulb went off there. They had totally forgotten that Tidus was without an effective weapon.

"So it's decided then," said Tidus, "First to the base of Mt. Gagazet where all of Kimahri's race are to prepare and then we come back!"

"Sounds like a good plan to me, ya," said Wakka.

As they walked forward, Yuna looked back at the scenery they were leaving. Tidus stayed behind with her while everyone just walked onward. Tidus stood next to Yuna, watching the scenery too. He now finally understood why Yuna would take some time to watch the scenery. She was saying goodbye to places she would never see again.

"I promise you," said Tidus softly, "You'll be able to enjoy these views again. There has to be a way/"

Yuna just sighed softly before grabbing Tidus's hand, drawing strength and warmth from it. They both turned back to catch up with the group.

* * *

They soon arrived at the base of Mt. Gagazet, where snow was falling aplenty.

"Brr it's cold!" shivered Max. He needed to go find some warm clothes later. Suddenly, the Ronso people appeared from all over the place. Then, Maester Kelk appeared, though he did not seem well. He had bandages all over him, and his face seemed like he had lost something vital. Still, he pressed on to talk.

"Gagazet is Ronso land, sacred mountain for us. It will not bear the footsteps of those who bring turmoil to us!"declared Kelk.

"Enemy of Ronso, Leave!" shouted Biran.

"No," replied Yuna confidently, "I will continue my path! I follow the false teachings of Yevon no more, but I will still complete my pilgrimage!" As this declaration, most of the Ronso were impressed. They took a step back when all her guardians drew their weapons, ready for a fight. Their eyes burned with passion the Ronso could not help but respect. Biran and Yenke took a step forward, though, as if ready to render their opponents asunder.  
"A summoners and her guardians…," muttered Kelk.  
"Lord Kelk Ronso," addressed Lulu politely, "if I may. Have you not also turned your back on Bevelle?"  
"But still, you guard Gagazet as a Ronso, not a maester. Yuna is much the same," continued Auron.  
"Elder Kelk! Let Biran rend them asunder!" shouted Biran, his fists flexing.  
"No escape! Not one!" added Yenke.

"Try it," said Paine as she lifted her sword, ready to fight. Max cocked his guns, while Tidus unsheathed the baton and let the electricity crackle around it.  
"No, we will not flee. We will fight, and continue on!" said Yuna.  
Kelk was confused at this courage. He asked what purpose Yuna had left after learning the truth, in which Yuna replied that she would end Sin. A common goal shared by everyone. If she could end the suffering of what Sin brought, then she would do everything in her power to do so.  
"Even sacrificing yourself?" said Kelk, pondering about this courageous summoner's answer. He made a decision "Ronso, let them pass! Summoner Yuna, your will is stronger than steel. Tempered steel that even the mightiest Ronso could not hope to bend. Yuna, we bow to your will! Now go! The sacred heights of Gagazet welcome you."  
"We thank you, _"_ replied Yuna

Suddenly, a loud humming noise could be heard from above. Everyone looked up to see the airship had arrived, and some people were getting off. Cid, along with Brother, got off first. Later came Isaaru and his party, along with Dona and Barthello.

"Gehehe! Glad to see you made it out alive!" said Cid. "Just got back from Bevelle! Saw Gippal there, and he told me you guys would be here!"

The Ronso were wary, but Kelk merely held out his hand, judging that these people were not invaders. Isaaru and Donna had finished praying at Bevelle and were also ready to continue their pilgrimage. Even though they knew the truth, they also could not bring it to themselves to end it. They also wanted to see if they could somehow defeat Sin without it ever coming back. Cid tried to convince Yuna to stop, but her will was just too strong. He tried to blame Tidus, only to receive a kick on the shin by both Rikku and surprisingly Yuna. Seeing as both his daughter and his niece was against him, he decided to give up. Cid offered to at least drive them to Zanarkand by airship, but Auron insisted that they walk. He merely told Cid that it was necessary, and would not move on this point, even when Cid threatened him with any horrifying torture he could think of. In th end, he gave up and allowed it, since Max offered to stay in contact by machina.

* * *

Everyone went to buy some warm clothings for the travel ahead. Lulu was stubborn and stuck with her regular attire, although she was willing to at least put a scarf on. Max was quickly taken to a forge to craft Tidus a weapon as well as a few other items. He also asked Rikku to give her daggers to him for upgrades, which she gladly obliged. He had Brother, Paine, and another Ronso go collect the machina the Guado had planned to use so he could disassemble it for parts while Cid went back to the ship to fetch some stuff for him. Yuna told Issaru and Donna about another fayth wasn't known to Bevelle, and they were also interested in seeing if they could get it. While Max was busy crafting and comparing notes with another Ronso blacksmith named Rorik, Kimahri looked up to the mountain to take in the fact he was back in his homeland. Then he heard two Ronso coming near him. He turned around to see Yenke and Biran standing in front of him. Tidus saw this and quickly went to intervene if necessary. He could see them taunting Kimahri again.

"Haven't you bothered us enough?" asked Tidus.  
Biran shook his head and answered, "Summoner may pass. Guardians may pass. Kimahri not pass! Kimahri shame Ronso brothers. Kimahri forget his birth."  
"Forget his people, forget his mountain. Little Ronso! Weakling Ronso!" taunted Yenke.  
"Mountain hate the weak, hate the small. If you will climb…" announced Biran.  
" Then I must prove my strength!" answered Kimahri, drawing his halberd out.  
"Think you will win?" teased Biran, "You not forget who took your horn! Never forget!"  
"This time, I win. I will win!" roared Kimahri, showing his proud spirit to these two. Biran nodded to Yenke as they both got into position to fight.  
Seeing how it was a 2v1, Tidus tried to help, only to be stopped by Kimahri himself.  
"This some kind of Ronso thing?" asked Tidus.  
Kimahri shook his head and replied, "Kimahri problem," before roaring and charging at the two. Everyone quickly got out of the way to allow them to fight.

"Biran rend you asunder!" roared Biran as he went to fight head on.  
"Hornless! Hornless!" taunted Yenke as he tried to get behind Kimarhi.

Kimahri ignored them as he swung his halberd. It was a close fight, even if it was 2v1. With his weapon, he had more reach than either of them. However, the two were well-versed in teamwork and attacked with almost no gaps in between. Yenke then cast _Might Guard_ on himself and Biran, making it even harder. Soon, Kimahri had his chance. Yenke overextended his punch, and Kimahri punished him dearly. Kimahri allowed his right hand to let go of his halberd before punching Yenke in the face. Before could recover, Kimahri slashed with his halberd on his left hand with only one hand. Yenke growled and threw another punch to Kimahri's face. Using the momentum of his swing, Kimahri leaned back to dodge it before shooting out his right leg for a back kick right at his chest wound. Yenke flew back into the snow. He tried to get up, but fell back down, too injured to fight. The Ronso quickly converged in to make sure that the wounds were not life-threatening.

Biran saw this and charged. Kimahri managed to dodge and thrust his halberd at him. Biran, however, was a much better warrior that Yenke and dodged. Before Kimahri could bring his weapon back, Biran used his elbow and knee and crushed the wood that was holding the halberd head. Surprised at this, Kimahri was a second too slow from dodging Biran's horn, leaving a nasty gash on his arm. A punch quickly followed, forcing him to block it with his pole. That also broke in half, leaving Kimahri weaponless. However, he didn't give and charged forward with his fists only. Kimahri, however, was at a disadvantage in size and strength with his fighting style, the same style that most Ronso used.  
"Too weak," taunted Biran, "This is true strength, Kimahri!"

Kimhari suddenly changed styles, completely dodging Biran's attacks. Biran was confused but charged again. As he was charging, Kimahri grinned. It had taken him ten long years after his horn had been broken to finally find a style suitable for him. He may be smaller and weaker in terms of strength, but that didn't mean everything. He countered Biran's right straight with a cross counter, stunning him. Before Biran could respond, he grabbed Biran on his head and kneed him. Biran roared in pain and tried to charge him. Instead of trying of fighting him head on, he waited for Biran to come. As Biran got closer, Kimahri slid to the side and tripped Biran. Biran stumbled but recovered quickly. However, a flying knee came right into his face. His head shot up, leaving his body open. Kimahri used his Overdrive energy to perform _Thrust Kick_. Biran was shot back into the wall. He collapsed down on to his knees. He tried to get up but stumbled back down. He struggled until he had no energy left. Kimahri had won. The Ronso quickly applied first aid to Biran. Soon, Biran and Yenke were standing. Yenke still had his hand over his chest while Biran had his on his stomach.

Biran slowly walked towards Kimahri. Tidus was ready to intervene when he spoke.  
"Strong is Kimahri," said Biran, "Biran is happy." He actually grinned that he had lost. He soon turned towards the mountai and walked a few steps forward, looking up to the skies.

"Sacred Mount Gagazet!" Biran roared in pride, "I honor the name of strong warrior who defeats Biran. Remember always, Gagazet! That name is Kimahri!"  
"Mountain knows Kimahri strong. Kimahri may pass," added Yenke, explaining to them that it was tradition to honor the winner of a fight.

They slowly walked passed Kimahri back to their caves to heal up. As they passed Kimahri, both patted him on the shoulders, acknowledging that Kimahri had indeed grown and surpassed them. They stopped when Yuna offered to heal them. They shook their heads, saying that their wounds would heal in time, and this was a trophy from fighting such a strong warrior.

They stayed the night, as they were waiting for Max to finish up. The Ronso welcomed them with pride, as they brought a Ronso back home who had grown wise and strong. They celebrated Kimahri's victory. Even Yenke and Biran were celebrating it with him. To Tidus, it felt like Kimahri was the younger brother of Yenke and Biran. They both taunted and teased Kimahri, but they did it to show their love in a weird way. They never actually initiated the first punch, only taunted and sometimes respond. When they saw Kimahri come back even stronger, their pride in their little brother grew. Max was still inside the forge, crafting, although he did come out every now and then for food and break. Lulu could be seen coming into the forge by Max's request. Rikku, Cid, Brother, and even the Ronso blacksmith wanted to stay in the forge the whole time to see what Max was doing, but Max told them to go out and have fun. They decided to just take turns watching what Max did while the others celebrated. Soon, Pace fell asleep first, and everyone soon followed the suit. Yenke and Biran could still be seen puffing their pride that their little brother had grown so much. Kelk could be seen slightly grinning.

* * *

 **Dam. I would have uploaded this chapter earlier, but my stupid computer kept having problems that any edit I did kept being reversed.**

 **After careful planning, I have decided to include all the aeons. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Read and Review! :)**


	35. Chapter 34 Weapons and Yojimbo

**Disclaimer: Don't own FFX**

 **65 Fav, 76 Follow, around 17k views!**

 **A notice, I won't be updating next week, maybe even two weeks. I have finals incoming. Sorry :(**

* * *

The next morning came by fast. Cid and Brother had left for Bevelle to help Nooj as well as looking over any ancient texts for them. Max had finally had time to check the weapons system in the airship before fixing a few things. He told them that it could last a little longer than what they had originally planned, but to fully fix it, he would actually need to spend a week making sure everything was fully operational, something he didn't have time for. Max had woken up earlier than the rest beside Auron. He went back into the forge to put on the finishing touches just to find the Ronso blacksmith Rorik already waiting with his kid behind him, who also wanted to become a blacksmith. He was grinning as he helped Max finish up the weapons before thanking him for showing him various techniques he had not thought possible. Max bowed in respect and thanked him for the forge and for also showing him advanced techniques.

Soon, everyone was up and ready to travel. Isaaru and Dona both agreed to travel with them, as they were on the same path. Auron originally did not want them to accompany Yuna, but he was overruled by Yuna and the majority. Snorting in annoyance, he let it go. The plan was to go to the fayth that Lulu mentioned before continuing on with the journey. Max came out with a huge crate carried by Rorik, causing everyone to raise their eyebrows as the crate was put onto the ground with a thud.

"All right. First things first," announced Max.

He drew out a sword and tossed it to Tidus. It retained the same color as his old sword, but the form had completely changed. Its sleek design with a majestic jagged edge was sharp. Even the handguard was designed and sculpted well, unlike the old sword, where it was just a cloth wrapped around a piece of metal. In the center of the sword was a gold figure that made it even more majestic.

"I call it Caladbolg!" said Max proudly. "I used whatever I could harvest from you old sword and with Rorik's help, crafted an even stronger one. Apparently, Rorik found a rare item called the Sun Sigil and gave it to me as a gift to craft it with. In exchange, I may have taught him some things. He also mentioned that if I found the Sun Crest to bring it back to infuse it, making it more powerful."

Tidus swung his weapon, testing its weight. He grinned as he swapped it hand to hand. It was perfect. He put his blade away as Max returned the buckler back to him, stating that it was in fine condition.

Max then grabbed a metal stick that went up to Max's knees. He tossed it to Kimahri, who was surprised, and told him to hold the red button on it. He did, and suddenly, the stick transformed. At one end, the pole extended. The other end also extended, but a two-sided halberd came out. Kimahri was impressed at the craftsmanship.

"Heard about your match. Although a new pole was all that was needed to fix your old one, I felt like an upgrade was suitable for winning your fight. That one's named Ame-no-nuboko, after a legendary halberd. Yea, fine, I'm cocky, but that halberd the best one I've made. Should be much more durable than your old one, and also very easy to carry. Just twist and click the red button to make it portable again! Also got a surprise if you throw it like a javelin. There's a little string that's very durable, similar to my hookshot. Have that attached to your bracer so you can recall it back anytime."

Kimahri was impressed with his weapon after swinging it a few times putting it away. Max grabbed the twin daggers he crafted for Rikku earlier and tossed them back to her. They looked sharper than before, and Max stated that they had better penetration and could conduct a lot more voltage now. Rikku was happy with her weapon. He passed a few grenade type items to Lulu, Yuna, Dona, Isaaru, and Pacce, telling them it would be better to have something to defend with than nothing. Seeing how they couldn't win this argument, they agreed.

Max then pulled out two gauntlets. Everyone was confused who this would be for until he tossed it to Barthello, who was surprised.

"Just something I managed to scrap up from that mech. It'll increase your punching power," said Max. Barthello grinned as he put them on.

"Also, just point your gauntlet at the enemy and click that red button inside the gauntlet to see something cool," added Max. Barthello nodded but decided to test out his weapon later.

"What about you, Max? Make any upgrades?" asked Rikku.

Max grinned as he held out his arm computer. With a click of a button, a holo screen popped out instead of his usual flip on screen. While they were admiring it, he also took out his guns.

"Since I've been nicknamed after chaos, meet Rebellion and Discord. I've finally managed to make it mimics blasters! It's weaker than using real bullets, but at least I don't have to worry about limited ammo supply anymore. It recharges when I'm not using it, although I do have 4 more blaster packs in case I need to swap them for more shots. It can still transform into its bow form if I need to use arrows, but now I've made my guns be able to become escrima sticks if I somehow run out of ammo and need to defend myself."

While they got ready, Max managed to meet up with O'aka, who mysteriously was still following them, and bought some more items. While browsing through O'aka's wares, Max saw that he was selling something called Holy Water. Max asked what it did, but O'aka shrugged. He told Max that he got it off some bloke who swore that any summoner on the pilgrimage needed it. Shrugging, Max bought quite a few just in this point, they decided to check out how much O'aka still owed Max. The total was about 220,00 gils left. Max was content to leave it until Lulu whispered to Max about needing a bit more gils. She wouldn't specify why, but that it was necessary. In the end, Max withdrew 120,000 gils from O'aka. He was sad to see his gils go from his pocket, but at least his debt had gone down to 100,000 gils now.

* * *

After everyone was ready, they journeyed back down to the fayth that Lulu had mentioned. Tidus was having fun with his new weapon. It was much more durable and sharper than his old blade, and yet it felt so light. He wasn't the only one having fun, though. Kimahri was slashing apart enemies, testing the balance of his new weapon while Barthello was punching enemies, launching them far away while they faded into pyreflies. Barthello grinned at his new weapon. Now, he could truly prove that his muscles weren't for show and protect Dona even better. Some of the guardians were in admiration while others were jealous that they didn't get a Max custom weapon. Even stubborn Wakka wanted one, something that would improve his ball's attack.

As they found the cave, Lulu stood outside of it for a bit. She looked at the entrance with what seemed to be regret and sadness. Everyone was quite confused until Wakka remembered something important.

"Hey. This where…?" asked Wakka to Lulu. She nodded in reply. "Where what?" asked Tidus. "The summoner I guarded on my first pilgrimage…died here," answered Lulu. There was a long awkward silence after that until Lulu told them that they should get going.

As they walked through the cave, defeating fiends, they all pondered about what a fayth would be doing here. A theory was that it was stolen from a temple and hidden so summoner's wouldn't be able to complete their journey. Another was that it used to be a temple itself, but it fell due to lack of interest. As they walked to what seemed to be the end of a cave, Suddenly, pyreflies started to coalesce at the far end of the cave. "Peh! Another Guado fiend?" asked Wakka. "No. An unsent," announced Kimhari. A woman formed from the pyreflies and stepped out as if to greet them. "It is…It's you, is it not, Lady Ginnem?" asked Lulu as she stepped forward. Sadness and regret could be seen from her eyes. "Forgive me. I was too young."

Isaaru took pity and tried to perform the sending for the unsent. He wanted to allow the soul of a lost summoner to have peace. As he was about to do it, the unsent raised her arm and slashed it down, sending a shockwave right at Isaaru. He stepped back in shock and glanced and Yuna and Dona. Somehow, this unsent had disrupted the sending process.  
"There is no human left in you now, is there?" asked Lulu quietly. The unsent slashed her arms again, as if in anger.  
"Very well, then," said Lulu, "Allow me to perform my last duty to you. My last as your guardian." She stepped forward ready to fight. Dona and Isaaru's party was going to join when Max stopped them.

"This isn't your fight. Leave this one to us. Lulu needs this closure," said Max as he stepped forward. Dona and Isaaru nodded and stepped back.

As they got into position, four summoning lights came from the the unsent, and a bright flash covered the area. As Yuna and they managed to adjust their eyesight again, they saw an aeon, ready to fight. This tall imposing aeon was dressed in colorful robes, and had a sword in its sheath at his waistband. A dog accompanied the aeon.

"We're fighting an aeon?" asked Tidus in disbelief.

"Doesn't matter, shut it down," said Auron as he dashed forward.

He swung his sword at the aeon, causing it flinch. Paine and Tidus quickly followed up on the attack. Kimahri was about to stab when the dog jumped on him and tried to bit his head off. Kimahri, with the help of Wakka, managed to make the dog back off. Lulu cast _Thundaga_ on the aeon. Suddenly, the aeon pulled out 3 kozuka knives and threw them at Lulu. Max shot a one of them out of the air, but the other two were too fast for Max to shoot out of the air as they made their way towards Lulu. She gritted her teeth and took two knife throws. Luckily, none of them hit a vital spot, but she was still heavily damaged. Yuna immediately began healing Lulu while Rikku threw a basic grenade at the aeon. It blew up, staggering the aeon. Wakka and Max quickly attacked, taking advantage of this.

Suddenly, the aeon grabbed his sword, and slashed towards Yuna. It was powerful that the ground tore up into a gap as the air slash went towards Yuna. Tidus, who had already cast _Haste_ on himself, quickly ran and intercepted the slash with his new sword. He roared and slashed the air cutter, dispelling it. Tidus's muscles felt numb after blocking such an attack, but he glanced at his sword and grinned to see that the attack hadn't damaged his sword at all. Kimahri quickly slashed at the aeon, to deter it from attacking so quickly. The fight took awhile, but it ended when Lulu used her Overdrive energy to cast 7 _Waterga_ on the aeon, finishing it off.

When the aeon dispersed itself, so did the unsent Lady Ginnem.  
"Strange. I thought it would be sadder, somehow," mused Lulu, "Maybe I've gotten used to farewells."  
"You're stronger now," replied Wakka as he approached her and put his hand on her shoulder, giving her strength.

"Wakka, I hope you're right," said Lulu and she slightly tilted her head to the hand, reveling in its warmth.

* * *

After a bit of debate, they decided to just have all the summoners and a few guardians go into the Chamber of the Fayth. They no longer cared for the Taboo, and it was safer if there was at least someone with the summoners. Dona had Barthello, Isaaru with Maroda, and Yuna with Tidus and Max. The last choice for Yuna was actually just a game of rock paper scissors to see who would accompany her, in which Max won. After Isaaru asked Rikku to take care of Pacce, they went in.

The Chamber was much different from the ones of the temple. Instead of an embedded statue into the ground with a glowing sphere, the ground actually had a hole inside to hold the statue. Several stripes of papers crisscrossed all over the fayth statue, while carpets with writing went from the ground floor into the hole and underneath the statue. As the three summoners bowed down to pray, the ground started to shake. Fearing for a cave in, the guardians got ready to evacuate if necessary.

Suddenly, a spirit arose from the statue. It was dressed as a Crusader, with red armor and accompanying it was a dog.  
"I am the blade of vengeance," announced the fayth, "They dare only whisper my name: Yojimbo."

Everyone looked to each other at this. They were not familiar with this aeon, as it wasn't part of the aeons needed for training in the pilgrimage. They looked back to the spirit called Yojimbo.

"Summoners, I ask you. What do you want of me?" said Yojimbo.

Before any of the summoners could answer, Max had a question first. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Yojimbo glared at Max, as if trying to strike him down with a glare. "That does not concern you. My question is for the summoners only. It is a surprise to see three of them at once, but my question stands."

With this, Dona, Isaaru, and Yuna gathered up to debate what was best to answer this question. In the past, Yuna would have said to train as a summoner. However, with pilgrimage forcing her to change her views and making her more mature, she had her answer. She shared it with the other two, who agreed that this was probably the best answer. Yuna turned to Yojimbo to speak for all three of them.

"Our wish," stated Yuna, "is to use your power to help defeat Sin. We want to vanquish the most powerful enemy of Spira and put an end to Sin."

Yojimbo seemed to nod in joy for announcing something that shocked the summoners, "If you desire my strength, you must pay my price of 250,000 gils per summoner. Make your offer."

"What!?" shouted Tidus, "We have to pay to get you!?"

"This is most unusual," said Isaaru, "Usually, the fayth will allow us to summon them if we show them our will as we pray. This is the first I've heard that we have to pay to gain an aeon."

Donna offered up 90,000 gils, and didn't want to spend a gil more. Yojimbo took offense at this offer and said, "You expect a phoenix, yet you offer chicken feed! No deal."

Donna was furious and turned around, "Come Barthello. We don't need this one."

She left with Barthello. With her frivolous spending habits, she didn't have enough to even have half the amount. Not that she could be blamed for that, though. Summoners usually died right after defeating Sin, so saving up for the future was pointless. Isaaru had at least 185,000 gils saved up, but he wanted to save that for his brothers after he was gone.

He sighed and said, "I don't have enough to pay this price, and all the gils we earned, I want to leave it to my brothers. I have them to think about if or when I'm gone." At this, he also turned around and left with Maroda.

* * *

Yojimbo looked to Yuna, who was the only one left. She looked to Tidus, who looked to Max. Max sighed as he pulled out his gils from his pouch. Since he had a deal with O'aka, he had been termed as the party's treasurer and had all the gils they got from fiends. Opening his arm computer, he typed in the command to see how much gil they actually had, since he used it to keep track. The amount showed they had garnered about 245,000 gils. Max couldn't feel that Lulu knew about this aeon and why it needed gils, but was thankful that he had taken her advice. Suddenly, he was struck with an idea. Yojimbo had said to make an offer, which meant they could haggle.

"Question! If Yuna does obtain you, will you fight for her like all the other aeons?" asked Max.

Yojimbo shook his head, "No, I will require payment to slay your foes even if she summons me."

Tidus cursed under his breath. Auron had told him that the fayth were living souls that had been taken willingly to form statues, which became aeons. This one must have been a mercenary or a bodyguard in his past life.

"Hmph. Doesn't sound like your worth that much. We defeated an unsent who summoned you. It was pretty easy," taunted Tidus.

Yojimbo bristled at that, "That unsent summoner only managed to summon a fraction of my true power. People quake in fear when they see it."

"And yet, we have to pay for your power each time," retorted Max, "Plus, why do you even need all that gil for and can you use it?"

There was an unsettling silence at that question. Yojimbo slowly answered back, "It is the source of my power. In the past, I was a bodyguard, hired by clients who would pay the highest. I was feared by many who tried to assassinate my client. When it became time for me to depart this world, I was approached by Yevon followers to become an aeon. I decided I would agree. However, something went wrong, and money became the source of my power. Although my skills are very strong, I need something of monetary value to attack. Even a single gil can rend my enemies asunder , although the more gils offered, the higher my motivation and my energy become."

Tidus, Yuna, and Max gathered together to discuss how to deal with this. After a while, Yuna came out with an offer.

"125,001 gils," said Yuna.

Yojimbo stared at the summoner, disbelief in his eyes. Then he started to chuckle before laughing. Many clients had just paid his fee outright when he offered, even when he put it at ridiculous prices. A few tried to bargain, but an even lower amount succeeded. Yet, he loved it when clients haggled with him. A few minutes of bargaining went on, and Yojimbo finally accepted the offer of 200,000 gils. Max placed the gils at a pot where Yojimbo told him to put it as an offering. They immediately disappeared as it entered the pot. "Adequate… You are my client henceforth. My sword shall guard you on your journey, summoner," said Yojimbo as he glided into Yuna. Yuna shook for a bit, gaining a new summon before slowly falling down to her knees. Tidus was at her side in a flash, helping her to get back up slowly.

"Let's go," said Tidus. Max and Yuna nodded as they left. Before they left, Max gave Yuna a pouch containing 5,000 gils in case the really did need Yojimbo.

They left to see everyone gathered up. Donna and Isaaru had already told them what had happened.

"Hmph. So you came back out too," said Donna. "That aeon was ridiculous, demanding payment like that."

"Don't worry about it," said Isaaru, "We don't need that aeon to defeat Sin."

Tidus, Max, and Yuna looked at each other before chuckling. Donna and Isaaru were confused at this attitude.

"We managed to strike a deal with Yojimbo. Max paid 200,000 gils for his services to Yuna," exclaimed Tidus. Isaaru and Donna's mouth dropped to the floor at this. How did they even how so much gils in the first place? When Max explained to them about his bet and deal with O'aka, Donna scoffed before pouting. Isaaru had mixed feelings about betting, but decided to let it go. Pacce just wanted to learn how to play blitz from Tidus. They all left the cavern, with Yuna only obtaining Yojimbo, and headed to Mt. Gagazet again. They were ready to ascend the mountains to Zanarkand.

* * *

 **Weapons. I might have Max make weapons for most. Ultimate Weapons are a maybe, or modified. Since I have Rikku using dual daggers, no point in Godhand. Same with Kimahri's halberd.**


	36. Chapter 35 FTD Third Time! Won't give up

**Disclaimer: Don't own FFX.**

 **Sorry for the week hiatus. Finals came in. Now that's over, NEW CHAPTER!**

 **Revised 12/21/2016**

* * *

The party reached to Mt. Gagazet and started to just climb up the mountain as soon as they refilled up on items. Donna and Isaaru gave their gils to Max to help them buy their stuff. As they were walking, Biran and Yenke were waiting for them.

"Summoner!" shouted Biran, "We Ronso will any pursuers from Old Yevon. Penance for breaking Kimahri's horn, long ago."  
"We crush enemies following behind," announced Yenke.  
"Kimahri crush enemies standing before," said Kimahri in reply and respect.

Yenke and Biran nodded before they started to sing the Hymn of the Fayth. They were soon joined by other Ronso tribesmen. After they were done singing, they left them alone to prepare their defenses.

As they traveled up the mountain, weathering the cold wind that was blowing upon them all, and more powerful fiends attacked them. However, with 3 healers/summoners and so many guardians, it was easy to defend the summoners. They soon encountered a makeshift monument that seemed to have been built by the Ronso.

"These mark the graves of summoners and guardians who failed," explained Lulu as all three summoners bowed down to give their respect to those who had fallen.

"Summoners that die up here…aren't sent to the Farplane," added Lulu. Tidus and Max turned to her in confusion.  
"Who would send them? They die alone," further explained Lulu, "Many have become fiends, and they may want company."

At this, Barthello started to flex his visible muscles. The weather was too cold that even he decided to put on a jacket. However, he made sure that it was tight so people could still see his muscles. Maroda and Pacce adopted a more serious face to protect their brother.  
"We'll be fine," said Tidus, "Long as we're all here, they won't take our summoners."

Everyone nodded as they continued down the road. As they were walking, they passed by another monument. Auron stopped them for a second.

"There should be a message for Yuna around here. Braska left it in case you ever made it this far," said Auron. He reached behind the monument and grabbed an old memory sphere before tossing it to Yuna, who automatically played it.

It showed Braska, who was also at Mt. Gagazet. Behind him was the monument dedicated to lost summoners and guardians. Auron and Jecht were paying their respects.

" _Hello, Yuna. I hope you are well. I wonder how old you are, now that you're watching this sphere. You must be very beautiful, like your mother. I wish I could see you. Oh, by the way… Jecht and Auron send their regards. So far, our journey has been very entertaining. Of course, it is a hard journey, but I have no regrets. It is the path I have chosen. Yuna, when you have grown, you will have to find your own path. Do what you must do, the way you want to do it. Doors will always open themselves to those who do. Listen close, Yuna. Your future is yours to make. Live the way you want to. Whatever way that may be, you have your father's full support. Yuna, I will always be with you."_

As Yuna put the sphere down, they could see tears starting to form in her eyes. She really missed her father now after this message. Silently, Tidus walked up to her to hug her. After a few minutes, they separated.

* * *

Donna scoffed but decided not to say anything for now. She knew she had to keep a tighter control on her lips, especially in this far in the pilgrimage. After several more encounters with fiends, they finally reached what seemed to be the peak of the mountain and the entrance to Zanarkand. As they were all walking, Max, Tidus, Rikku, Barthello, and Pacce were lagging behind.

"Zanarkand is on the other side, you know?" said Rikku, stopping for a bit and turned around to them. The others also stopped too.  
"Yunie and the others are gonna get the Final Aeon, you know?" continued Rikku. "I still haven't thought of anything."

The others looked down in sadness. They hadn't been able to think of something either.

"Barthello doesn't know either," he lamented. Barthello knew that Donna would die when he agreed to this pilgrimage, but now that they made it this far, it was getting harder to let her go.

"I don't want big brother to be sacrificed," muttered Pacce. He never knew the truth until recently, and yet the brothers couldn't leave him alone while they went on the pilgrimage. Their parents had died early on, leaving Isaaru to be the man of the house. When he made the decision to become a summoner, it was decided they would take Pacce along so they could watch over him. Once it was over, Maroda would be the one to take care of him. With the money and fame, if Isaaru did win, they would be set for a good amount of time.  
"What are we gonna do?" asked Rikku, who was starting to panic.  
"We'll do something!" stated Tidus fiercely, "We just don't know enough yet. Until we do, we really can't help Yuna. Let's got to Zanarkand. We'll find something there. It'll all come together. I know it!"

"Right!" cheered Barthello, Pacce, and Max.

Rikku teased Tidus, stating that he was actually sounding like a leader, to which Tidus replied that he was the star of the Zanarkand Abes for a reason. Max might hold the title of the strategist, but it was Tidus who lead his team. Rikku mockingly bowed to him, causing them all to chuckle. When she raised her head, she gave a shriek and pointed behind them. They all turned around to see Seymour standing before them.

"Ah, the son of Jecht and his annoying friend," said Seymour.  
"Rikku, run ahead get the others!" shouted Max as the males all got ready for battle.

"Pacce, go with Rikku too!" commanded Tidus.

Rikku and Pacce nodded and ran off to get the others.  
"Now is your time to die. Prepare yourself, son of Jecht and chaos bringer," stated Seymour. He launched a few 3rd tier spells at them, forcing them to scatter. Max started shooting at him, causing Seymour to shield himself with a spell. Suddenly, Barthello charged in and gave a wicked uppercut right into his stomach. It broke through the shield and forced Seymour to back off for a bit. Seymour sneered a bit at this attack. Soon, footsteps could be heard coming. Reinforcements had arrived.  
"Save some for Kimahri!" shouted Kimahri as he took a vanguard position.  
"Lady Yuna, it is a pleasure," purred Seymour, ignoring everyone else. Yuna shivered at this. Even now, Seymour was still persistent in having her as his wife.

"Hmph. Enough! Just go away you annoying freak!" said Donna as she began to try sending him to the Farplane. Isaaru and Yuna started to join in to help.  
"A sending, so soon?" chuckled Seymour, "Allow me to say something to the last Ronso before I leave." Everyone stopped at that sentence. Fear started to take root in them all. It couldn't be true. Seymour started to cackle evilly, "Yours was…truly a gallant race. They threw themselves at me to bar my path. One…after another…"

He raised his hand, motioning on how they came before clenching his fist in the end. Kimahri growled at this in rage.

"Bull crap! You're lying!" shouted Paine.

"Am I?" said Seymour as he reached into his robes and tossed out a bag. The bag opened upon impact on the ground, and horns scattered to their feet. Maroda was on his knees in disbelief and examined them before telling them that these horns were indeed from the Ronsos. Kimahri howled in agony.  
"You could end the suffering of this poor Ronso," stated Seymour, ignoring Kimahri.  
"I don't understand you!" screamed Yuna in rage.

"Allow Kimahri to die, and release him from his pain," said Seymour, as if he was explaining something to a toddler, "Spira… is a land of suffering and sorrow caught in a spiral of death. To destroy–to heal–Spira, I will become Sin. Yes, with your help. Come with me, Yuna."

Everyone stepped back at this proclamation. This man was crazy, no insane. He had officially set the bar for insanity. As Yuna took another step back, Tidus stepped in front of her, as if to protect her.

"Once I have become the next Sin, your father will be freed again," whispered Seymour, loud enough for them all to hear, though.

* * *

Before anyone could ask, Max shot Seymour twice in the face, who blocked it. He didn't stop and switched to bow form and fired a _Thundaga_ arrow. This one caused Seymour to step back a bit. Tidus took this chance and charged forward, his sword swinging in a downward arc. Seymour leaped back, barely dodging the attack, though a thin gash could be seen on his chest. When he leaped back, though, he jumped off a cliff.

"Ha! Hope he enjoys falling off a cliff!" shouted Wakka. However, the next thing he saw made him pout. "Oh C'mon!"  
Seymour had come back, but he had transformed. Sitting upon a bizarre contraption called Mortiochus, he had transformed to the same look as before.

"Pitiful mortals," exclaimed Seymour, "Your hope ends here. And your meaningless existence with it!"

Soon, their formation had formed. Barthello, Tidus, Paine, Auron, and Kimahri took vanguard. Max and Wakka were in mid-range. Lulu, Isaaru, Donna, and Yuna were at the back, ready for support. Rikku was guerilla again, but Maroda also took the same position, wielding a dirk. Pacce was told to go hide. At first, Pacce wanted to fight, but a look from Isaaru made him comply.

Before the fight, Seymour asked Yuna one more time, "Do you not want to heal Spira's sorrow? Let death carry you off into peaceful slumber."  
Yuna didn't even bother replying this time. Max and Wakka answered for her by striking first.

They were fighting even harder than they thought were possible. The Mortiochus kept trying to stab them with a lance and inflict a status ailement. When Barthello got hit, his started to glow green. At first, everyone was confused at this, and _Esuna_ wasn't curing it. Barthello tried to heal himself with a potion when he noticed it caused him even more pain. Then Seymour cast _Full-Life_ on poor Barthello. He felt indescribable pain before keeling over. Donna screamed in horror as her guardian went down. Isaaru kept calm and cast _Life_ on Barthello. He was back up but was severely weakened from the two hit combo. Yuna immediately started to heal him.

"You monster! Die!" shouted Donna as she summoned Shiva.

"No!" shouted Auron, but it was too late for the warning. Seymour banished the aeon, instantly killing the aeon. Donna and Isaaru looked in horror.

"Aeons don't work against Seymour!" shouted Lulu. They nodded in reply and just kept up with healing.

Max was the next one to get hit by the Mortiochus. He was glowing green now.

"Ah crap!" yelled Max as he noticed Seymour already getting ready to cast _Full-Life_ on him. Everyone was trying to prevent him, but he wasn't stopping. Max reached into his pouch when he touched a Holy Water that he had bought from O'aka.

'Huh. When Barthello was glowing green, he took damage from items that would heal. Almost like he was an undead... Maybe.. Hope this doesn't kill me!' thought Max as he grabbed the Holy Water and drank it.

The effect was immediate. Max stopped glowing green just as Seymour's spell hit him.

"Oh thank heavens!" shouted Max. Holy Water cured whatever status ailment he had. He decided to nickname it Zombiefication until further notice. Seymour didn't like it and aimed a _Firaga_ at him.

'We need to go faster,' thought Tidus. He could spam _Haste_ , but it would take too long. He reached deep within him and pulled out the usual mana for _Haste_ _._ Instead of releasing it, he saved and stacked another one on top of it. He kept pulling as much mana as he could from deep within. When he couldn't hold it in anymore, he released it. In doing so, Tidus cast _Hastega_ _,_ allowing everyone within the area to feel the effects of a speed boost. He was quite surprised at this but didn't complain. Nor did anybody else. With the speed boost, it was getting easier to dodge Seymour's attacks.

* * *

Kimahri had gathered enough Overdrive energy and immediately used it to cast _Mighty Guard_ , a skill Biran had taught him directly. It was just in time as the Mortiochus grabbed its two blades from its shoulders. Seymour went up into the air for a bit before diving back down with a flip and struck at them with an x-attack. The vanguard and mid-range went flying back into the backline from that attack. Isaaru and Donna quickly tried to heal them. Thanks to Kimahri, the damage wasn't as bad as it looked. Yuna, however, was not pleased. She decided to summon even if Seymour could banish it. At least she had to get one attack in! She summoned Bahamut.

Seymour gaped in disbelief that Yuna would do such a futile action before banishing it.

"Death awaits you!"

Bahamut took the hit, but to everyone's surprise, it was still standing, if only barely. It seemed to want to at least get one attack in, the same as Yuna. Bahamut gathered the energy that it took and performed it's overdrive _Mega Flare._

The Dragon King did a backflip and landed on all four of its limbs. It stamped its two front ones as if to balance itself. The floating golden wing behind it's back started to rotate and gather energy. It was spinning faster and faster every second. Bahamut opened its mouth, and a ball of energy could be seen forming. Soon, Bahamut took a deep breath, inhaling the ball before roaring out loud. A huge blast of continuous energy came forth and blasted Seymour and Mortiochus. It's destructive energy blew up, and a small mushroom cloud could be seen. The dust cleared up to see that Seymour had been heavily damaged by the attack. Grunting in pain, he banished Bahamut one more time, this time succeeding. As Bahamut faded away, it looked at Yuna and gave her a grin, as if telling her that it completed it's objective.

Thanks to Yuna, Isaaru and Donna were able to heal everyone back up with the use of spells and potions. As they got back up, Seymour cast _Dispel_ and negated the speed boost they were all enjoying. As Tidus gathered the energy to cast _Hastega_ again, Barthello charged forward. He pointed his right fist at Seymour, and clicked the big red button that Max had installed inside. The gauntlet flew from his fist and punched Seymour right in the face, surprising both of them. The fist automatically flew back to Barthello after it had done its job. Barthello looked at his weapon in amazement and grinned.

"That is so AWESOME!" shouted Pacce in the back, still hiding. "Was that a rocket fist?"

Seymour was not pleased and cast _Flare_ on Barthello. After attacking Seymour and Mortiochus, alternating hits, Seymour's face was showing he was getting tired. The Mortiochus kept draining his health every time it was about to fail. Soon, he had enough and started to prepare for his ultimate attack. This move would ensure that all of them would die! He just needed to be a bit careful of Yuna, but even if she died, he was sure he could revive her. As he gathered energy into the Mortiochus, it started to glow brightly.

"That doesn't look good," said Paine as she gave a horizontal slash to the Mortiochus. Everyone was wailing on Seymour and Mortiochus, and yet the glow didn't seem to stop.

"Everyone! Gather around me now!" shouted Max.

"Do as he says!" shouted Tidus, who already understood what Seymour was about to do and what Max wanted to but not questioning it, everyone ran to Max.

"Too late fools!" cackled Seymour as he unleashed his fury. "Prepare for TOTAL ANNIHILATION!"

Right as they had gathered, lighting could be seen at the side of the Mortiochus. Then, it started to shoot laser beams at them all, kicking up dust as it did so. Not even stopping, Mortiochus dropped out missles from its bottom compartment, shooting them and impacting on the group, causing even more dust to rise. Lastly, Seymour swooped in to drop one last missile, one that was bigger than all the others shot before, that detonated upon impact, causing far more damage than all his other attacks.

"No...," muttered Pacce as he dropped to his knees. After such an attack like that, it was unlikely there were survivors.

"Pitiful. They wouldn't have died if they listened to me," said Seymour, directing his gaze at the last survivor. "Don't worry little boy. I'll end your suffering soon enough."

"Don't you dare touch my brother!" two voices rang out.

Pacce and Seymour looked back at the destruction site to see a glowing blue round barrier after the dust cleared up. Everyone was inside and completely safe! Max had his hand held high, carrying a small box that was projecting the light. Soon, the barrier shattered into pieces, and the box made a beeping noise before it stopped glowing.

"Dam. That was a pretty powerful attack to consume all the energy on this barrier," commented Max as he put it away. Luckily it would recharge after awhile.

"What! Impossible!" shouted Seymour. He now knew who was responsible for the first blue light barrier back on Operation Mi'ihen.

Max responded by using his Overdrive energy to use his 3rd one, _Big Shot_. It was similar to the first one, where he would shoot it at a critical spot, except this time, a much more powerful shot was heading to that area. Putting his guns together, he focused his energy, building up a ball of destructive energy, and fired. Seymour was hit and flew back a bit, but he wasn't out yet.

"You have angered Kimahri! The spirits of the Ronso will guide Kimahri's spear!" roared Kimahri as he threw his halberd straight towards Seymour's chest. Right after he threw it, the blunt end of the pole opened up a hole, and large explosion came out of it, accelerating the force of the throw. Flying straight and true, it pierced Seymour, and dug into his chest. Seymour looked down in disbelief at his inevitable defeat. Kimahri roared proudly as he pulled the string that was still attached to his halberd. The halberd came out of Seymour's chest, along with a blood spurt.

Unable to take any more damage, Seymour andMortiochus started to detonate before finally disappearing.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. As we all know, Seymour Flux is one of the most annoying bosses to fight. Can't tell you how many times my party died due to that freaking Total Annhilation move. Instead, I had Lulu cast Bio on Seymour and let that do the rest. You can see that I didn't do that for my story, as I felt like it might look cooler not to use it.**


	37. Chapter 36 Truth of Dreams

**Disclaimer: Don't own FFX**

 **Here's a new chapter! Hope you enjoy this one and my take of it! Read & Review!**

* * *

As Seymour disappeared, everyone collapsed onto the floor, taking deep breaths. Pacce came out to pass out potions for everyone to use and help bandage any wounds. After they finally caught their breath, Kimahri slowly collected the horns and put them in a bag. He swore that when he returned home, he would find each Ronso who had lost his or her horn and bury them with it if they were dead. As they were about to head out, Yuna wasn't moving. Everyone turned around.

"Something wrong, Yunie?" asked Rikku.  
"He will become Sin…with my help," muttered Yuna, repeating what Seymour had said.  
"Lies. Forget them," said Auron quickly, trying to dismiss the subject on hand.  
"If he becomes Sin, Sir Jecht will be saved," continued Yuna, ignoring Auron.  
"We're leaving," he said sternly as he turned around to walk away.  
"You know something! Tell me!" yelled Yuna. Auron stopped, but completely ignored the question and remained silent.  
Yuna instead ran up to her boyfriend Tidus,"Tell me!" she yelled. She stared at Tidus, knowing that he would never lie to her. Tidus hung his head in sadness.

"Yuna.. This is some-," Max tried to intervene, but Tidus rose his hand. Max looked at Tidus, but withdrew.

"Sin's…my old man," said Tidus quietly. Wakka asked him in disbelief if he accidentally hit his head during the battle. Paine and Lulu slapped him on the head for that comment.  
"Sin is my old man," said Tidus a bit louder, "My old man became Sin! I don't know how or why he did it. I felt him, inside. And when I did, I knew it was true. My old man is Spira's suffering. Sorry."  
Everyone was silent at this. Rikku looked at Max, asking him if it was true with her expression. Max slightly nodded, confirming it. He wasn't sure either, but he trusted Tidus.

"Even…knowing that Sin is your father… Still, you know, I must… that we must," said Yuna slowly, motioning to herself as well as Donna and Isaaru, who were still dazed at the news.  
"I know," said Tidus, nodding his head, "Let's get him. I think my old man would want that."  
"You would fight your own father?" asked Isaaru.  
"Yeah," chuckled Tidus, "No problem there."  
"Uh… 'Bout your old man… You sure this ain't some kinda bad toxin dream or something?" asked Wakka, hoping this was just his imagination.

"As far as I know, there is no toxin," said Max, "Even if there was, it's extremely weak and vanishes quickly.

"Then, what about those people who forget who they are or change their personality after coming in contact with Sin?" asked Maroda.

"That's most likely the case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's when something so stressful happens that the body and brain has to force itself to forget or to adapt to the situation to remain sane. And since Sin usually kills a lot of people, those surviving would definitely be traumatizing, seeing their loved ones dead," explained Max.

Everyone older than Pacce took a thinking pose about it. Barthello nearly had his brain fried trying to figure that out, though.  
"Then, Chappu… ," stuttered Wakka, "I, uh… I think I'll just pretend I didn't hear nothing. I'm getting a little confused, ya? Why… Why'd all this have to happen?"  
"We'll learn when we arrive. Soon," replied Auron in a mysterious way before walking forward again. Everyone decided it was time to proceed.

* * *

As they walked forward in awkward silence, Yuna held onto Tidus's hand. She conveyed her feelings to him just by a touch, asking if he was really alright. Tidus gently tightened his fist, telling her he was fine. Rikku was holding hands with Max, and Barthello was carrying Donna, who proclaimed that she was tired of walking for a bit. Suddenly, they encountered an amazing scene. The first thing they noticed was bodies that seemed to be embedded into the stone walls, glowing faintly light blue and flowing down from the wall into a lake. Then, they noticed a column of water rising into the heavens.

"Whoaaa," said Pacce.

"Wh-What are those?" asked Wakka.  
Isaaru kneeled down to one of the bodies, examining it. Yuna quickly figured it out, though. "Those are fayth. A summoning! Someone is using these fayth! Someone is drawing energy from all of them!" shouted Yuna.  
"Impossible," said Donna. "Who could wield such power on this scale?"

"You know it's true, Lady Donna," replied Isaaru. "But the true question is what could they be calling."  
Rikku looked to Auron, noticing his lack of surprise, and interrogated him. "Hey, you know something, don't you? Spill the beans!"  
"Look not to others for knowledge. This is your journey, too," replied Auron stiffly as he continued to walk forwad.  
"Hey!" shouted Rikku, "Don't hide important information. This could help us, otherwise, Yunie might die, you know? And not only her, but any of the summoners!"  
"No… Auron's right," said Tidus. Rikku looked at him in confusion.  
"This is our… This is my stor... No. This is my story and Max's," said Tidus he approached the wall to study it closer. As he curiously touched it, he felt his conscious suddenly being pulled in. He heard them calling his name as he was falling down, slowly losing conscious and control of his body. Yuna was already running towards him. Barthello accidentally nudged Max into the wall, who also felt his conscious being pulled in. As he fell, he could hear Donna scolding Barthello while Rikku was running over to Max.

Feeling a cold wooden floor, Tidus slowly opened his eyes to a familiar sight he thought he would never see. It was Zanarkand! He was back home! Was Spira merely a dream, though. He felt around his body and noticed his sword was gone. As he looked around, he noticed a lack of people. Zanarkand never slept. It should've been filled with people right now, and yet, it seemed like it was a ghost town. He looked around and yelled loudly, hoping someone would respond. After 10 seconds of no reply, Tidus was beginning to feel scared. He looked towards Max's home and saw a figure running towards him. It was Max!

"Oh thank heavens I'm not alone," said Tidus as he waived to Max.

"Somethings wrong here," said Max.

"I know. It's a ghost town here. That shouldn't be possible. Also, none of my weapons are here, and I see your pouches and guns aren't either." said Tidus.

Max nodded before adding, "I woke up on the floor right in front of my house. I tried to access my lab. It wouldn't open for some reason. It's been sealed shut by unknown forces, and I can't even try to override it with my computer because that's not working either."  
Tidus frowned at that and tried to open his house. Surprisingly, it opened. Tidus looked at Max, tilting his head, as if motioning Max to come in with him. Max nodded and walked in with him. They looked around to see Tidus's room was exactly the way they remembered before Sin came. As they walked around, the kid wearing purple suddenly appeared in front of them, sitting down in a corner.  
"Welcome home," said the child in a creepy way.  
"You…" said Tidus, surprised. Max narrowed his eyes.  
"Remember me? We met in Bevelle," said the child. "Though I didn't see him there," as he pointed to Max. Tidus merely shook his head in confirmation.  
"But that wasn't the first time we met," said the child, "I've known about you two for a long time. A long, long time."

"You a stalker?" asked Max, even though he felt like he should know this kid.  
"I…I feel like I know you, too." replied Tidus. He looked around before asking, "Where are we?"  
The child chuckled at this before answering Tidus's question, "Silly, don't recognize your own home?" He vanished into thin air again before they could ask him to clarify that. As Max and Tidus looked at each other, trying to figure this out, images of Wakka and Paine suddenly appeared, telling them to wake up.  
"Wait…this is a dream," said Tidus as a lightbulb clicked inside his head.  
The child ran back into the room from the front door. "Precisely," he answered.

"One extremely weird and vivid dream we're sharing," said Max with a hint of sarcasm.  
" A dream? Are you crazy!?" shouted Tidus, "I don't have time to be dreaming now! We don't have time!"  
The child shook his head, correcting Tidus, "You're wrong. It's not that you're dreaming. You are a dream."

"Wait, what?" asked Max. The child just ran outside again. This time, Tidus and Max quickly pursued after him. They found him outside on the upper deck, looking out to the city.

After a few moments of silence, the child talked first. "Long ago, there was a war."  
"Yeah, with machina, right?" said Tidus, remembering Wakka and Lulu, along with old man Maechen lecturing about ancient history.  
"Huh. Don't remember reading about war in our library," commented Max.

"That's because we didn't allow it, and it happened before this time," said the child before explaining it further, "A war between Zanarkand and Bevelle. Bevelle's machina assured their victory from the start. Spira had never seen such power. The summoners of Zanarkand didn't stand a chance. Zanarkand was doomed to oblivion. That's why we tried to save it–if only in a memory."  
"What did you do?" asked Tidus warily. He knew he wouldn't like the answer, and he found it he didn't.  
"The remaining summoners and the townspeople that survived the war… They all became fayth– fayth for the summoning," said the child.  
"A summoning… You mean for Sin?" asked Max.  
"No. I mean this place," said the child, gesturing to all around the, "A Zanarkand that never sleeps."  
"What?!" shouted Max and Tidus.  
"The dreams of the fayth summoned the memories of the city. They summoned all the buildings, all the people who lived there," explained the child.  
"The people… What, they're all dreams? Us, too?" asked Tidus as he pointed to himself and Max.  
"Yes, you're both dreams of the fayth. You, your father, your mother, everyone. All dreams. And if the fayth stop dreaming…" the child left it off there before gesturing back to Zanarkand. It suddenly disappeared, leaving only themselves on the boat, along with the pier and a few other boats. The once beautiful Zanarkand was now a desolate area.  
"No!" screeched Tidus in horror.

"Son of a B-!" shouted Max.

Both of them collapsed onto their knees as the truth was laid bare to them. They weren't real. They were imaginations. Some dream off of people.  
"So what if we're dreams!" Tidus snapped out, "I…I like being here." The child suddenly teleported behind them, forcing them to turn around.  
"We've been dreaming so long…we're tired," the child replied, confusing Max and Tidus for a bit. "Would you two and your father… Would you let us rest? Both you two and your father have been touched by Sin. Sin, the one around whom all Spira–the spiral–revolves."  
Max frowned and asked, "Aren't we just dreams?"  
The child chuckled before teleporting again, this time onto the pier. "You two are more than just dreams now."  
A fleeting image of Yuna and Rikku appeared now, begging them to wake up.  
The child looked out into the distance, before leaving one final message, "Just a little more, and maybe… Maybe you two are the dreams that will end our dreaming at last."

"Wait! Bu-" shouted Tidus before the dream collapsed.

* * *

Max and Tidus woke up to find their heads on the laps of their respective girlfriend. Everybody else was clustered around them, worried. Even Auron seem to have concern written on his face.  
"Are you all right?" asked Yuna. Rikku was stroking Max's hair. They both got up and stretched, telling everyone that they were fine, that narcolepsy had suddenly struck them at an unfortunate time. They tried to pass it off as not getting enough rest from the battle earlier, and left it there. Everyone felt something was missing, but decided not to pursue it.

As they were walking, Tidus was next to Max this time and whispered, "Think that was real? That we're just..." he left it at that.

Max shrugged his shoulders, "Don't know. I hope it's not, but if it is... how do we even explain that?"

Tidus could only shake his head as he had no idea how to tell his girlfriend that their relationship wouldn't last long due to supernatural circumstances. Not something he wanted to tell her so soon.

They all entered a cave, solving puzzles and finding ways to go through flooded areas. Maroda joined Tidus, Wakka, Rikku, Paine, and Max in swimming to find ways to navigate through the flooded areas, opening pathways. When Lulu asked Max how he was going to fight, he merely flicked a switch on his gun and showed them that his guns also had ultrasonic capabilities and use sonic waves to fight in water. It wasn't as effective as blasters or real ammo, but it still held quite a punch. Rikku was fangirling over it for a bit until Max flicked her forehead, telling her that they needed to continue on.

As they navigated through the cave, they saw a light at the end of the tunnel and could feel fresh air coming in. As they approached the exit, Auron stopped them all.

"They'll be upon us soon. She has sent fiends to test our summoner's strength," he told them all.  
"Who is 'she'?" asked Yuna.  
"Yunalesca," Auron replied curtly  
"Lady Yunalesca? She is still alive?" asked Isaaru curiously.  
"As much as Mika and Seymour. She awaits for the strongest. However, with this big of a group and three summoners, it will be interesting to see who she sends,"  
"Hmph. We'll show her what it means to mess with me and Barthello. You guys of course too," bragged Donna.

Everyone chuckled at this. Some things never changed. However, each face was filled with confidence that they would pass this with no problems.

"Let's go," said Paine, taking to the frontline. Everyone nodded and walked out of the cave.

* * *

They finally walked out of the cave and took a deep breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, they didn't get to enjoy it, as suddenly, 2 huge fiends blocked their way.

"It comes!" shouted Auron, already getting ready. "She has sent two Sanctuary Keepers at us this time. Must be because of the size of our party."

Everyone got into their usual positions. However, this time it was harder as there was less room to maneuver around two of them, and they had to be careful not to be sandwiched between them.

"Let's finish this quickly," said Auron as he channeled his Overdrive energy into his sword. Taking a swig of his sake bottle, he spat the liquid onto his sword. He lifted it up high into the sky, where it glowed ominously.

" **Banishing Blade!"** roared Auron as he swung it down into the ground, and orbs of darkness spawned forth from the pits of his sword, all landing on a Sanctuary Keeper.

"My turn!" shouted Wakka as he channeled his Overdrive energy. He jumped up into the sky, both hands on the ball while reeling it back over his head so much that his back arched. He threw the ball down with all his might right into the other Sanctuary Keeper.

Both Keepers had their stats lowered thanks to Auron and Wakka, allowing this fight to be a little more manageable. Even when both Keepers used its deadly Mana Beam, Max was able to put up his barrier shield to block it. After what seemed like hours of fighting, the Keepers both died. Auron, however, pushed them to keep going even right after the battle, not even allowing a moment's break.

"Hey! Can't we rest a little?" shouted Rikku.  
"No need," replied Auron curtly, walking forward, "We reach the summit soon."  
"I know," said Rikku, "that's why I want to stop for a bit. Soon means that… there's not much time left."

Max walked up to Rikku and put his hand on her head, rubbing it affectionately before stating, "Don't worry. I'm sure everything will turn out fine. I know we'll find the answers that we're all looking for."

Rikku pouted but continued walking, running next to Yuna. If they couldn't find a way, she wanted to spend some time with her cousin before anything else.

As they continued to walk up the hill, Max and Tidus were last. Both were quietly discussing ideas about Sin and plan on how to reveal to their respective girlfriends that they weren't exactly real. Wakka and Paine called them out, telling them to hurry up. Auron chuckled before telling them his own story, of how he once walked here, and his resolve wavering before his eyes. Before he left them, he gave out one last statement that silenced them into shock.

"I wanted to change the world, too. But I changed nothing. That is my story."

* * *

They all walked the narrow path, they finally saw Zanarkand. The ancient city of machina, with cities towering into the skies. However, it was silent with desolation. The usual sound of people that reverberated through the city was empty. Only sand and wind passed through the city of Zanarkand. Max and Tidus knew that they would most likely see this scene, but in their hearts, they had hoped to see their Zanarakand, full of life. What was reality was a city dead for a thousand years. The end journey of Yuna's and all summoner's pilgrimage. Both of them couldn't put their thoughts into words, as it kept slipping away from them as they continued to look into the distance.

Rikku started to panic at the thought of nearing Zanarkand.  
"Yuna, I say no!" cried out Rikku, "If we go down there, then you'll… you'll all..."  
Yuna just calmly walked up to Rikku and replied, "You're a true friend, and I thank you, but… I must go…down, to Zanarkand. We all made our decision the moment we chose this path."  
"I'm not saying we shouldn't go," replied Rikku quickly, looking at mostly Yuna, "But shouldn't we think about it some more? There's gotta be some kind of way we can save you, Yuna! There's gotta be another way to defeat Sin without sacrificing anymore summoners!"

Yuna hugged Rikku, showing her appreciation for worrying. Isaaru patted Rikku on the shoulder, showing thanks, while Donna merely gave a sad glance at her for once. A sphere slipped out of Yuna's sleeve, but she didn't notice it at all. Nor did anybody else except for Max, who discreetly picked it up while nobody was watching.  
"Thank you, Rikku. Thank you for everything," said Yuna, as if she was accepting what was going to lie ahead.

"Not yet, Yuna," stated Tidus strongly. "There has to be another way. I know it exists. We just don't have enough information. All our answers will lie at the end."

"How can you be so confident?" asked Maroda, "I've already accepted that my brother will die even if I don't want to."

"Probably because we're stubborn," replied Max, "Part of being a blitzball player. Even if we're losing, we won't give up until the very end."  
"Kimahri, let's go," said Yuna, slowly walking away. She couldn't bring herself to face Tidus right now, otherwise her doubts would come up again. She envied the fact that Rikku and Max would still have a life together after, while her and Tidus might not.

While everyone walked away, Max held Tidus back and held out the memory sphere for Tidus.

"Yuna dropped this and didn't notice. I think it might be a message or last will. Wanna see what's inside?" asked Max.

Tidus felt bad for invading Yuna's privacy, but his curiosity got the better of him and played it out for both of them to see. They heard the sound of the sea and saw a sunset.

"This was taken back at Mi'hen Highroad, near Rin's place. I recognize that sunset," said Tidus.

From the sphere, they heard Yuna giving her what would be her last words to everyone in her party during that time period. After hearing Auron, Kimahri, Lulu, and Wakka's, their names popped up.

 _Recording:_

" _I guess that leaves…the newest guardians. Max, you were always funny and the best strategist I know. I know you definitely had a hand with the blitzball game. You made sure that the Besaid Aurochs would win, along with Tidus. You brought in light and humor at just the right time. Even though I don't know you too well, I'm sure we would have, no we will become very good friends."_

" _As for our last guardian. Star player of the Zanarkand Abes! You are… I am… Well, um… I'm glad…I'm glad that we met. We haven't even known each other that long, but… It's funny. So… So this is what it feels like. It's a much more wonderful feeling than anything I had ever imagined. I've never felt this way with anyone before. Even when you and Max were together, I was strangely always attracted to you. Wonderful…but it hurts, sometimes. I wonder. I…I just want to say, thank you for everything. Maybe…maybe that's why it hurts. When I… When I think about us never being together again at all… I'm afraid. No, I shouldn't say that. I'll do that part over. Um…"_

 _Suddenly, Tidus's voice rang out, "Whatcha up to?"_

 _At this, Yuna's face looked like she was panicking before shutting down the sphere._

 _Recording End_

"So that's what she was up to," murmured Tidus.

"You know there's only one thing to do, right?" asked Max.

Tidus grinned back, "To make sure this won't be her last chapter.

* * *

 _Back in Dream Zanarkand_

Bahamut, the child, was sitting at the edge of the boat, staring into the distance. He felt a little guilty using Tidus and Max like this. He saw that Tidus had formed a relationship with Yuna and Max with Rikku, and didn't want to separate them just to fulfill their wishes. However, there was no choice if they wanted to stop dreaming and finally defeat Sin forever. As he hummed the Hymn of the Fayth, he felt others approaching him.

"Is there no other way?" asked a woman in her thirties who was the fayth of Anima. She was the most recent of them, and had not suffered dreaming as long as they had.

"You are naive, Anima," growled a purple-dressed Crusader who was the fayth of Ifrit. "You have not suffered as long as we have, especially Bahamut himself."

"Don't be harsh on her. She does raise a good point, even if it is naive," said a man wearing sea-faring clothes, who was the fayth of Ixion.

Yojimbo merely stood silent, watching the sea with his faithful companion.

"But still, must we separate the lovers? Is there no way to have them still exist when we are gone?" persisted Anima.

Everyone merely looked awkwardly at each other. The fayth of the Magus Sisters, three teenage sisters, just shrugged.

Suddenly, two souls came into view that made them all take caution. It was Shuyin and Lenne.

"How did you get here?" asked Bahamut curiously.

"We are original souls that existed in Zanarkand who's souls managed to escape before that certain summoning. Granted, where we died might have affected that too. Never the less, this dreamworld Zanarkand is still accessibly because of how familiar it is to us, although I'm not entirely sure I understand how it works," replied Shuyin while he scratched the back of his head. He was a man of science, after all. Summons were more of his lover's field.

"We heard about Tidus and Max. I refuse to have our reincarnations and their friends suffer the same horrible heartbreak that I suffered with Shuyin!" cried out Lenne, stomping her foot on the ground.

"Perhaps... there is a way," said a young woman wearing blue clothes, the fayth of Valefor. She had been very impressed by Tidus's speech when she had been summoned at Bikanel Island. "But, it's risky, and there is a chance that those two will never return if it goes wrong or right, depending on **her** mood."

"You're talking about-!" shouted Ifrit, "That's crazy!"

"It might work if they win, but that lady has a tendency to keep a strong grip on ones that are strong," warned Ixion.

"I know. But if those two's wills and hearts are strong enough, then maybe, then maybe they can keep the blessings they get and stay in Spira without needing us," said Valefor.

"Even if we do approve of this, they will still need to go away for an undetermined amount of time. It could take decades," said Bahamut.

"What are you talking about?" asked Shuyin.

"This will take a bit of explaining," said Bahamut. "You see, there is a world where light and darkness fight. Chosen warriors from different worlds come together to fight for a certain goddess, whose name is C..."

* * *

 **Care to guess what I'm talking about? A cookie for those who get it! I won't write about them specifically in that world, but it does play a slight role of what I'm planning. Hope you've enjoyed this chapter, hope you have a good Christmas!**

 **Also, a side note. I'm posting two more stories! They are just one shots, but if they get good review or enough people wanting me to expand on the story, I will do it. This story, of course, will be first priority, though. Both of them are RWBY mostly based off a certain blonde male. I might do a poll to see which story is more popular.**


	38. Chapter 37 Now Arriving at Zanarakand

**Disclaimer: Don't own FFX**

 **All right this will be my last chapter!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **For the Year!**

 **But it is nearing the end! Also, quite a few lines came directly from the game. I did that on purpose because of how important they are to the story. Wasn't sure where Isaaru is from, but I think it's Bevelle. Also skipping Spectral Keeper. Too annoying to write about it, and with 3 parties, I can argue that Yunalesca skipped it.**

* * *

They descended down the hill before finally stopping at a clearing. Auron told them that access to the final place had to be done at night. The Cloister of Trials opened only at night when the fiends were at their strongest. This was to weed out any weak summoners who managed to make it to Zanarkand. They all decided to take this time to rest up, eat, and share stories. Max opened his arm computer in hopes of connecting with his main drive since they were near Zanarkand now but had no luck. This seemed to only prove that their Zanarkand was indeed, only a dream. Soon, night descended upon them. Everyone grabbed their weapons, looking at each other. They nodded and all left together, to make their final trip.

"Hey, Wakka! I've been meaning to ask, but how is it your weapon, a blitzball, hasn't worn out or just dead?" asked Max.

Wakka laughed at this, "You think this is just a regular blitzball? Na, man. This one has been specially crafted that can take some of my power and harden it while keeping its elasticity. If I used a regular one, I'd be going through like 5 balls a week."

As they walked down the road to Zanarkand, they noticed a river of pyreflies floating above their heads. Wakka commented on how it seemed to be like the Farplane. It was surprising to hear Auron actually reply, telling them that it was close enough. Not willing to explain why they continued on until the finally reached a dome building.

"Isn't this-?" said Max.

"Blitzball dome!?" shouted Tidus. Their final destination was where it all began. Talk about irony. Max tried to access his main database one last time, knowing that he was within range now. However, no luck came out of it. Either it was damaged or non-existent, and the latter seemed to be more likely.

Then, a gatekeeper in a priest's outfit walked out to greet them, "Journeyers of the long road, name yourselves."  
Yuna introduced herself first, "I am the summoner Yuna. I have come from the island of Besaid." she gave a Yevon prayer gesture as a show of respect.

Isaaru went next, "I am summoner Isaaru. I have come from the land of Bevelle."

Donna scoffed, "Summoner Donna. I'm from the island of Kilika`  
The gatekeeper looked at the eyes of each summoner, reading their expression. He nodded in acceptance and told them that Lady Yunalesca would welcome each of them. However, what she would do with three parties, would be completely up to her. As they walked in, the gatekeeper dispersed into pyreflies, showing them all that he was also an unsent, which scared them.

* * *

While inside the dome, Tidus and Max recognized the dome. It was definitely the same one as back home. Tidus and Max were tempted to go search for signs of something that might prove they weren't dreams. However, both decided it was better to not go looking for these clues. It might just push them further into depression. Suddenly, the pyreflies coalesced, and an image of two women wearing Crusader uniforms walked past them. Rikku and Pacce crouched down in fear, while others were confused but prepared for a fight.

" _If it might benefit the future of Spira," proclaimed one of the woman to the other, "I will gladly give my life. It is the highest honor for which a guardian might ask. Use my life, Lady Yocun, and rid Spira of Sin."_

The other woman nodded, and they suddenly disappeared.

"What…what was that?" asked Rikku, slightly freaking out.  
"Our predecessors," replied Auron.  
Lulu contemplated on this answer, "She said 'Lady Yocun,' didn't she? Wait! She guarded High Summoner Yocun?"  
"This dome is filled with pyreflies," explained Auron, "It's like one gigantic sphere. People's thoughts remain here. Forever."

They walked down the path again, fighting, even more, fiends and even unsent. Luckily, a cast of healing magic killed the undead fiends. However, they were almost overwhelmed when a bunch of them and machina droids came attacking. Thankfully, Auron decided to use his Overdrive _Tornado_. Channeling his energy, gusts of winds gathered around him. With two spins and a fierce swing, a tornado gathered up right at the cluster of enemies, sending them flying in the tornado. Grabbing his jug, he took a sip before chucking the whole jug into the tornado, which spontaneously caught on fire. It instantly wiped out the enemy. Soon, another image came upon them.

* * *

It was a young boy with blue hair. The semblance to Seymour was very uncanny, making them believe they were seeing a fragment of Seymour's past. _  
"No! Mother, no!" cried out Seymour, "I don't want you to become a fayth!"  
"There is no other way," said the mother, "Use me and defeat Sin. Only then will the people accept you."  
Seymour replied back while crying, "I don't care about them! I need you, Mother! No one else!"  
The mother looked away with guilt before answering back, "I don't…have much time left."_

* * *

"Hey, wasn't that…?" said Wakka, startled at this sight.  
"Seymour?" added Rikku

"Guess that explains why he went crazy," said Paine.

"They all talk about sacrifice to be a fayth," commented Pacce. Everyone's face was in shock and surprise. They were so focused that the fact Seymour had been here before that they forgot about the subject Seymour and his mother had been focused on. They other memory also had a similar conversation.

"Auron?" asked Tidus. Auron merely looked away before saying it wasn't time yet.  
As they continued forward, they stumbled upon a memory that seemed to be the most recent one.  
They saw Jecht, Braska, and a much younger looking Auron.

 _"Hey, Braska," said Jecht with concern, "You don't have to do this."_

 _'"Thank you for your concern," replied Braska, waving it off with grace._

 _"Fine," said Jecht as he folded his arms across his chest, "I said my piece."_

 _"Well, I haven't!" exclaimed Auron, "Lord Braska, let us go back! I don't want to see you…die!"_

 _"You knew this was to happen, my friend," lectured Braska. "Yes, but I…I cannot accept it." shouted Auron in reply. Braska chuckled at this while shaking his head, "Auron, I am honored that you care for me so. But I have come to kill grief itself. I will defeat Sin, and lift the veil of sorrow covering Spira. Please understand, Auron."_

"Even the legendary guardian had doubts, eh?" said Dona. She was frightened that she took it too far, but her pride demanded that she snark on Auron a bit.

Paine gave Dona a death glare, but Auron just remained silent and moved on. Soon, they had finally reached the entrance to the Cloister of Trials. As they were debating on who would go first, the gatekeeper appeared again and told them to all just go together, for Lady Yunalesca has decided to allow it. After arguing endlessly about what to do, they finally solved the puzzle. A platform came up that would lead the summoner the Chamber of Fayth.

At this point, Max and Tidus were arguing with Wakka and Lulu that they shouldn't allow the summoners down, not without exploiting every clue that this city had to offer. However, in the end, Auron told them strongly to let them go down. After all, just obtaining the final summoning wouldn't kill the summoner. It was only when it was used against Sin that it killed them. It didn't make them feel better, but Max and Tidus reluctantly let it go. As Yuna, Isaaru, and Dona took the platform down, Max was trying to find any source of connection to a Zanarkand database, with Tidus also looking for a port for him to plug in. Somewhere, there had to be something that gave them a clue. However, they didn't get the chance as the trio of summoners were suddenly back.

"Sir Auron!" yelled Yuna, "Everyone!"

"Come down here now!" shouted Isaaru.

"You must see what has happened!" yelled Dona.

All three of them were looking shaken at what they had just seen. Quickly leading the charge, Tidus went down with them. Since they had so many, they had to make two trips.

* * *

They arrived to see a statue into the floor. However, compared to the usual glow, this one was dim. Also, a black corruption seemed to spread over its glow.  
"This isn't a fayth. It's just an empty statue," explained Yuna.

"But how did the previous summoners get the final summoning, then?" asked Isaaru.

"You! Auron! Explain to us!" demanded Dona, forgetting about formalities.

The gatekeeper suddenly appeared from a hidden door in the wall, surprising them all. "That statue lost its power as a fayth long ago," he explained, "It is Lord Zaon, the first fayth of the Final Summoning. What you see before you is all that remains of him. Lord Zaon is…his soul is gone."

"That's impossible!" said Maroda.

"How did others get it then?" asked Barthello.

"Does that mean big brother doesn't need to be sacrificed?" asked Pacce.  
"But fear not," said the gatekeeper, ignoring Pacce's last question, "Lady Yunalesca will show you the path. The Final Aeon will be yours. The summoner and the Final Aeon will join powers. Go to her now. Inside, the lady awaits." The gatekeeper vanished, and the hidden door remained opened for them.

Before anyone could react, Tidus quickly whirled to Auron, asking him if he knew this already. Auron said yes, making Rikku and Paine question why he didn't just tell them in the first place. Auron replied with another question, asking if it would have even stopped them. The summoners looked at each other and agreed, even this news wouldn't have stopped them.  
"Yuna," said Kimahri.  
"I'm not going back," replied Yuna.  
Kimahri merely stepped in front of Yuna, "Kimahri knows. Kimahri go first. Yuna is safe. Kimahri protect."

They quickly entered through the door to see a grand hall. Then, they could hear footsteps coming in

"Someone's coming!" warned Paine, her sword out.

Soon, a lady with extremely provocative clothing stepped out. Most of the males whose age was above 12 and below 30 whose race was human all blushed at this sight. Tidus quickly shifted his view to Yuna, who pouted a bit that Tidus had clearly been ogling someone. Rikku was slamming her fists playfully onto Max's shoulder, telling him that he was being unfaithful. Dona wasn't holding back and was clearly punishing Barthello for being such an unfaithful guardian. Pacce, who hadn't hit puberty yet, was asking why the lady was barely wearing any clothing. He received no answer as Maroda and Isaaru were too busy ogling the lady that came in. Isaaru quickly snapped out of it first and pinched Maroda back to reality. "Lady Yunalesca," said Yuna as she bowed to her in respect. The rest of the summoners and guardians followed the suit, except for Max and Tidus. They observed their surroundings. They had been told Yunalesca was native from Zanarkand, but both of them couldn't recall anyone with that name in their own Zanarkand. "Welcome to Zanarkand," she announced with a voice that could seduce many, "I congratulate you all, summoners. You have completed your pilgrimage. I will now bestow one of you with that which you seek. I will, of course, reward the other two with the Final Summoning at a later time when it is needed. The Final Summoning…will be yours. Now, each one of you must choose." Everyone except Auron was confused at what she meant at that last part. Didn't she just say she would provide it? Pacce, however, was the one who caught it first.

"Does that mean my brother or any summoner has to choose one of us to become the fayth?" asked Pacce.

Yunalesca chuckled at the kid, "The little one is correct. You must choose the one whom I will change…to become the fayth of the Final Summoning."

Everyone gasped at this revelation. Not only did they sacrifice a summoner, but they also had to sacrifice a guardian as well?  
"There must be a bond," explained Yunalesca, "between chosen and summoner, for that is what the Final Summoning embodies: the bond between husband and wife, mother and child, or between friends. If that bond is strong enough, its light will conquer Sin. A thousand years ago, I chose my husband Zaon as my fayth. Our bond was true, and I obtained the Final Aeon."

She looked around at everyone, whose face were still in shock. "There is nothing to fear. You will soon be freed of worry and pain. For once you call forth the Final Aeon, your life will end. Death is the ultimate and final liberation. Your father, Braska, chose this path. _"_ She walked back into the door that lead to her room, where she would convert someone into the Final Aeon.

"That wasn't uplifting," commented Max.

"No kidding," replied Tidus, "Liberation by death? That's bull."

* * *

Suddenly, the pyreflies coalesced one more time, showing Jecht, Auron, and Braska in the exact room, making their decision.

" _It is not too late!" exclaimed Auron, "Let us turn back!"_

"Uncle?" asked Paine in shock. She would have never guessed that Auron would be so willing to throw the teachings away when he was young. _  
"If I turn back, who will defeat Sin?" replied Braska, "Would you have some other summoner and his guardians go through this?"_

Isaaru nodded in agreement. He wouldn't want any summoner to go through this choice if he could prevent it.

 _"But…my lord, there must be another way!" shouted Auron in desperation._

 _"This is the only way we got now!" replied Jecht. He folded his arms before making his decision. "Fine. Make me the fayth. I' been doing some thinking. My dream is back in the other Zanarkand. I wanted to make that runt into a star blitz player. Show him the view from the top, you know. But now I know there's no way home for me. I'm never gonna see him again. My dream's never gonna come true. So make me the fayth. I'll fight Sin with you, Braska. Then maybe my life will have meaning, you know."_

"Dad...," said Tidus quietly, his hands gripping tightly. He knew that this had to be related to how Jecht became Sin. He was also mad but proud that his father actually cared about him.

 _"Don't do this, Jecht! If you live…there may be another way! We'll think of something, I know!" shouted Auron, clenching his fist._

"Looks like Tidus takes on a little more on Auron than he knows," said Max. "Both have the same view,"

 _"Believe me, I thought this through," explained Jecht, "Besides… I ain't gettin' any younger, so I might as well make myself useful."  
Braska thanked Jecht for his sacrifice, and both of them turned to enter the room to follow Yunalesca.  
"Lord Braska! Jecht!" shouted Auron.  
"What do you want now?" groaned Jecht in annoyance.  
"Sin always comes back," Auron said dreadfully, " It comes back after the Calm every time! The cycle will continue and your deaths will mean nothing!"  
"But there's always a chance it won't come back this time. It's worth trying," answered Braska_

"Father..." cried out Yuna. She understood his father's choice and was willing to do the same at the cost of her life. If it meant ending all suffering for Spira, she would give up her life for it.

 _"I understand what you're saying, Auron. I'll find a way to break the cycle," said Jecht."Trust me, I'll think of something." He laughed out loudly at this._

 _Braska and Jecht left to complete the ritual. Auron fell down onto his knees in despair as he watched them go._

Auron stood behind the memory of himself. Suddenly, he snarled, and wildly tried to chop off his past self's head. This was the only time he actually lost control of his emotions as he frantically tried to dispel the dark memories away. Soon, it finally faded away. Auron looked down in shame.

"And the cycle went on," he said quietly.

* * *

"We'll break it!" announced Tidus.  
"But how? What, you got a plan now?" Wakka asked sarcastically.  
"If one of us has to become a fayth…," said Lulu as she walked up, "I volunteer."  
"Me too, Yuna!" said Wakka.

"Hmph. It'll obviously be me and Barthello, right," said Dona. However, everyone could see that this was just her putting up a brave face. Barthello, though, was in complete agreement with her. He would do anything for her, even if it meant giving up his life.

"No," said Isaaru, "It is easy to see that you and Barthello love each other Dona. You must live. The same applies to you, Yuna. I know that you have developed intense feelings for Tidus just by observing."

He looked at Maroda, who nodded in reply. Before Pacce could say anything, Maroda gave a quick chop to his neck, making him fall unconscious.

"I should be the one to do it with Maroda. Both of us have nothing to go back to anymore. My only request is that Pacce is taken care of when we are gone. Can you do that for me, Lady Yuna and Lady Dona?" "That still won't change anything, you know? " shouted Tidus, "You'd bring the Calm, and then what? That won't break the cycle!" "Listen…," said Wakka uneasily, "You wanna defeat Sin and keep Yuna and everybody alive… You don't want Sin to come back, ya? That is just not gonna happen, brudda, you know?" "If you want everything, you'll end up with nothing," advised Lulu. "But I want everything!" shouted Tidus angrily. "Now you're being childish!" scolded Wakka.

"Better than being an adult in this world," shouted Max angrily, "They just throw away a summoner so they can do whatever they want! There's no way I can accept the fact that someone has to be sacrificed for a short-term happiness!"

Tidus nodded in reply before answering Wakka, "You're right, I might not even have a chance. But no way am I gonna just stand here and let Yuna go. And what Auron said about there being a way… I think it's true."  
"You'll think of something?" asked Rikku.

"What could you even think of?" asked Paine.  
"I'll go ask Yunalesca. She's got to know something," said Tidus.  
"You really think she'll help you?" asked Rikku.

"She better be willing," growled Max. Kimahri nodded as he also growled.  
"I don't know, but I have to try," said Tidus, "This is my story. It'll go the way I want it…or it'll end here! But, I'm not making this my chapter! I'm going on, and I'm making it that way!"

"Hmph," said Max, "I'm with you on this one Tidus. We'll make sure this continues on! We'll end her chapter before ours comes even close."  
Max and Tidus nodded to each other as they walked forward towards the door. They told everyone to just stay still. If they didn't come back, then it would probably mean that they were dead. However, this would still allow them to summon the Final Aeon. As they took a step forward, Yuna came rushing in.

"Wait," she said. She looked down at her feet for a bit before raising her face, looking at Tidus intently, "You say it's your story, but it's my story, too, you know? It would be so easy…to let my fate just carry me away…following this same path my whole life through. But I know…I can't. What I do, I do…with no regrets."

They all agreed at this. Gently waking Pacce up, they walked through the door. Pacce was angry at Maroda for hitting him and wouldn't accept an apology until he got his favorite candy. Maroda caved in and brought it out, letting him eat it happily They were soon at a large platform that seemed to be floating in space.

"You know, you're a lot like your dad than you think, Tidus," whispered Max. "You both have the same mindset, but it's also been tempered by Auron and of course, ME!"

Tidus slapped him on the head for that comment.

* * *

Yunalesca stepped out from the shadows and walked towards them.

"Have you chosen which summoner will go first? Has the summoner chosen the one to become your fayth? Who will it be?" asked Yunalesca.  
"Might I ask something first?" questioned Yuna.

Yunalesca slowly nodded in reply. "Will Sin come back even should I use the Final Summoning to defeat it?"

"Sin is eternal. Every aeon that defeats it becomes Sin in its place… And thus is Sin reborn," said Yunalesca, not even worried about the cycle.  
"So that's why Jecht became Sin," said Tidus. Max and Rikku, who were the closest to him, heard and nodded.  
"Sin is an inevitable part of Spira's destiny. It is neverending," continued Yunalesca.  
"Neverending?" gasped out Wakka, "But…but…if we atone for our crimes, Sin will stop coming back, ya? Someday, it'll be gone, ya?"

In his mind, he was suddenly vividly reminded of when Max asked that question.

"Will humanity ever attain such purity?" answered Yunalesca with another question.

"This…this cannot be!" shouted Lulu in desperation, "The teachings state that we can exorcise Sin with complete atonement! It's been our only hope all these years!"

"You can't mean to tell us that this was a complete lie!" shouted Maroda.  
"Hope is…comforting. It allows us to accept fate, however tragic it might be," replied Yunalesca without a care.  
"No!" shouted Tidus as he took a few steps forward, with Max right behind him.

Suddenly, the pyreflies gathered once more, showing another memory. The young image of Auron appeared once more, brandishing his against an image of Yunalesca.

 _"No!" shouted Auron, "Where is the sense in all this? Braska believed in Yevon's teachings and died for them! Jecht believed in Braska and gave his life for him!"  
"They chose to die…because they had hope," said Yunalesca whimsically._

 _Auron cried inf fury as he jumped into the air, fully intending to slice Yunalesca in half. However, with a flick of her hand, she easily deflected the sword before slamming his stomach with a magical attack. He was sent flying across the room, skidding on the floor before crumpling. His blade flew out of his hand and landed next to him._

However, before the image faded away, Paine and a few others saw that her uncle took serious if not life-threatening damage from that. But how did he live through it, with nobody to help him? She looked at Auron, who showed no sign of relenting.

"Yevon's teachings and the Final Summoning give the people of Spira hope. Without hope, they would drown in their sorrow," explained Yunalesca patiently, as if to a child, "Now, choose. Who will be your fayth? Who will be the one to renew Spira's hope?"

All three summoners looked at each other before all coming with an agreement. It didn't take long to make their decision. "No one," announced Yuna, "I would have gladly died. So would have Lady Dona and Sir Isaaru. I live for the people of Spira and would have gladly died for them. But no more! The Final Summoning…is a false tradition that should be thrown away." Yunalesca shook her head, trying to convince the others that they were wrong, "No. It is our only hope. Your father sacrificed himself to give that hope to the people. So they would forget sorrow." "Wrong," yelled Yuna, "My father… My father wanted…to make Spira's sorrow go away. Not just cover it up with lies!"

"I looked up to High summoner Braska," said Isaaru, "And I know he believed that he might someday defeat Sin forever! Not just continue the cycle!"  
"Sorrow cannot be abolished. It is meaningless to try," replied Yunalesca.  
Yuna shook her head, "My father… I loved him. So I… I will live with my sorrow." Her voice started to get stronger as she continued, "I will live my own life! I will defeat sorrow, in his place. I will stand my ground and be strong. I don't know when it will be but someday, I will conquer it. And I will do it without…false hope."

Dona nodded before stepping up, "False hope is the same as no hope. I refuse to believe that there is no hope! I will find a way!" she laughed loudly.  
"Poor creatures," said Yunalesca sadly, "You would throw away hope. Well… I will free you before you can drown in your sorrow. It is better for you to die in hope than to live in despair. Let me be your liberator."

Suddenly, her whole body looked like it was brimming with power. It was easy to see how Auron, the legendary guardian, lost against her so easily. The fact that she had decided to kill them all made them gasp. She had slightly transformed. Her hair now pointed all over the place, while something mysterious seemed to be supporting her back.

* * *

Auron stepped up in front of all of them, "Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose!" he shouted with hand gesturing with passion, "Die and be free of pain or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!"

"Never thought you'd be one for speeches, uncle. But I'm in!" said Paine as she drew out her blade. "Yuna needs Kimahri. Kimahri protect Yuna," proclaimed Kimahri as he took out his halberd and expanded it. "I can't believe we're gonna fight Lady Yunalesca! Gimme a break!" said Wakka. He found out that this group for some reason always seem to have reasons to break down walls of Yevon. "You can always run," suggested Lulu. "Hah!" Wakka laughed out loud as he got out his ball. He had long accepted the fact that this group was never normal, "I'd never forgive myself–no way! Not if I ran away now. Even in death, ya!" "My thoughts exactly," smirked Lulu.

"Pacce! Go hide, just in case," said Isaaru.

"No! I'm fighting, too this time. I don't want to run away now. Where would I even run to if you all died? Better to stick together than be alone!" replied Pacce as he grabbed a dagger out.

"He's right, you know," said Maroda as he prepared his dirk in his hand, "Where would he go if we died. Family sticks together."

"Hmph. You may have power, but you won't beat us! Isn't that right, Barthello?" said Dona.

"I will protect Dona with all my power!" shouted Barthello, pounding his gauntlets together, "Nothing will stop me from making me protect her!"

"Could've been more forward about this Auron! But who cares! We're in this together. No way I'm letting an old hag who claims to also be from Zanarkand kill me!" said Max as he pulled out his guns. Yunalesca raised an eyebrow at this put the thought away. She was more interested in the fact that there was someone using machina in a summoner's group when Yevon had been very strict about it.

"I'm fighting too!," said Rikku as she drew out her dual daggers, "I won't let all the work my people did be in vain!"  
"Yuna!" shouted Tidus as he drew out his weapon, "This is our story! Now let's see this thing through together."

"Roger!" said Yuna as she drew out her staff. She gave him one last kiss on the cheek before retreating to the back line.

Formation:

Vanguard/Frontline: Paine, Auron, Tidus, Kimahri, Barthello. Maroda

Midrange: Wakka, Max

Backline: Lulu, Dona, Isaaru, Yuna

Guerilla: Rikku, Pacce

"Fight for your right to live!" shouted Auron as he charged forward, everybody else following him into battle.

* * *

 **All right! Time to plan out how the hell I'm going to write out this battle. Also, yes I put in Auron's 4th Overdrive one chapter after another. You may complain, saying that he needed those memory spheres to unlock it. But... Cmon. He can't possibly need all that crap just to remember his old moves or make new ones. Also, I needed to get it out of the way for what I have planned. Trust me, its gonna be good.**

 **Also, vote for which story I should expand on my profile! Jaune of Fake or Jaune of Dragon.**


	39. Chapter 38 Breaking Tradition!

**All right new chapter! I've had some good free time, and so I might be releasing these chapters earlier than usual**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own FFX**

 **Please, do read and review. I'd like to know how to improve on my story.**

* * *

Casting _Hastega_ on everyone, Tidus lead the charge. Max and Wakka were providing backup as the vanguard charged and surrounded her. Max and Wakka also separated to provide fire from two simultaneous angles. Still, she would not give up so easily. For every spell cast upon her, she would cast _Silence_ on the offending member. Any attacks were retaliated with _Blind_ , causing many of their accuracy to decrease. Max's accuracy dropped the least due to the fact his goggles was linked with his computer and helping him with aim-assist. Still, Pacce, Yuna, Donna, and Isaaru were working hard to cure the ailments.

"Shoot to thrill!" shouted Max as he unloaded a hail of bullets towards Yunalesca, who blocked it with a wave of her hand.

"This isn't going well," grumbled Maroda as he tried to slice her, only to be blocked when 3 of her hairs suddenly came to life and blocked the attack.

"Just keep attacking!" shouted Tidus as he did a somersault to dodge Yunalesca's attack.

"Barthello SMASH!" bellowed Barthello as he jumped into the air and come down with a hammer strike. Yunalesca dodged it by merely taking a step to the right before blasting him away.

Suddenly, Auron was on her, leaping in the air with the same strike that he did long ago in the past. As Yunalesca smirked and raised her hand to send him flying, Paine did the same from behind. Yunalesca quickly raised her other hand at the other opponent when a blitzball came flying into her face. Lulu quickly cast _Blizzaga_ right after Wakka, forcing her to stumble. Unable to block the attack, two blades cleaved down, injuring her shoulders. Rikku threw her her daggers at Yunalesca but found her daggers would just bounce off her hardened skin. Still, she called them back before she lost them. She worked on trying to stab Yunalesca instead.

Yunalesca shot a wave of energy towards Yuna, who was sent flying backward into some rock formations. Fueled by anger, Tidus dashed towards Yunalesca with his blade cleaving down. Yunalesca raised both her hands to block this attack. The attack was halted, making Tidus growl as he tried to press down. Yunalesca smirked until Max jumped above Tidus from behind and landed on his sword skillfully. With this added weight, Yunalesca knees buckled but did not let up. However, she was unprepared for the second part of their plan. With Yunalesca busy stopping the blade from cleaving her, Max brought out his guns and pointed them at her face and fired. Being peppered with bullets even with her hardened skin hurt, so Yunalesca concentrated her magic onto her hands and released it, sending Max and Tidus flying away. Tidus landed on the floor hard, but Max went further and completely disappeared from sight, off the platform.

"Max!" screamed Rikku.

"I'm okay!" shouted Max from below. There was a patch of land hidden from the floating floor that sunk down, and Max had luckily landed on it.

Rikku sighed in relief before dodging an attack from Yunalesca. Anger stormed up as she grabbed some ingredients for a mixture. The key ingredient was shining gem and bomb core, something she stole of some fiends awhile ago.

"Bombs away!" she yelled as she tossed her batch right at Yunalesca's face, creating a _Cluster Bomb_. Taking advantage of Yunalesca trying to clear the dust from her face, Barthello ran in and landed an uppercut right on her stomach, sinking it in. Clutching for breath, she banished Barthello away.

* * *

"You pitiful fools," she said as she regained her breath, "I had hoped to not to resort to this form but allow me to show you despair!"

They didn't notice, but they now saw that her back had something stabbed into the ground. She curled up her body, and the ground seemed to shatter. Suddenly, she was rising into the air, with tentacles seemingly coming forth from the ground. Two of them acted as footholds for her.

"Eww. Tentacles," commented Max as he pulled himself back onto the floor. He had found a treasure chest carrying something he had no idea what it was but kept it safe.

Suddenly the floor broke apart, tentacles sprouting out, lashing out upon their victims with its body and a tiny mouth with sharp teeth. The more agile people managed to dodge it, but everybody else got hit and were affected with zombification. Luckily, since Max had passed out Holy Water to everyone, they were already grabbing for their items. Yunalesca had other plans and cast _Cura_ on Isaaru, who hadn't had time to drink it. Groaning in pain, Isaaru collapsed. Pacce quickly ran over to his brother, forcing him to drink the Holy Water before Yuna healed him.

"I've had it! Die!" shouted Dona as she summoned Ifrit.

Ifrit roared as he was summoned. However, the aeon seemed hesitant to attack Yunalesca.

"Foolish woman. To summon someone who I helped lock their souls to become the fayth?" said Yunalesca. With a wave of her hand, some of Ifrit's life essence came out of his body and into hers, healing her.

Growling at this, Ifrit shot a meteor ball in response before jumping forward to rip her apart. Yunalesca scoffed and shot a blast of magic at Ifrit, dispelling it as it had taken too much damage.

"It is useless to fight. Let me give you the ultimate release. The release of life. Death will bring you peace," said Yunalesca as she dispelled Tidus's haste spell.

Quickly recasting it, Tidus charged forward. "I'm not giving up! Not till I can find another way."

"There is no other way. One must continue the cycle until death takes us all. It is futile to resist," replied Yunalesca.

"I'll show you futile! I'll show you what a blitzball ace from Zanarkand can do!" roared Tidus just as Kimahri blocked the tentacles aiming for Tidus.

Suddenly, everything felt like it was in slow-motion for him. He was running, dodging tentacles that made it through Kimahri's defense before he started to rapidly slash at the base of Yunalesca's body, where it was attached to her. Yunalesca winced as each slash hit. After the 5th hit, he swung upwards, doing a flip. He landed but continued the momentum, landing another hit before suddenly driving his blade downwards for the seventh hit. He wasn't finished, yet though. His Overdrive energy was still brimming. Yunalsca tried to stab him with her tentacles, but he dodged them before using one to launch himself into the air. Max grinned as he quickly brought out an item Tidus had specified for. With a quick press of a button, it became a blitzball that had been heavily modified for a single-use. However, Max wasn't in a good position to toss it to Tidus. Instead, he threw it to Yuna.

"Yuna! UP!" shouted Max. Yuna quickly understood and tossed the ball towards Tidus perfectly.

Tidus grinned as he flipped himself for his favorite shot. The Sphere shot. He kicked the ball as hard as he could right into Yunalesca's face. The blitzball also had a surprise as Max had loaded it with tons and tons of explosive items, thanks to Rikku. The blitzball blew up in her face from the impact.

Yunalesca seemed weakened as she suddenly sank back down to the ground.

"It's over!" shouted Wakka as he threw his ball at her. Suddenly, she leaned back, and a giant face came from the ground, blocking the attack. Its hideous face was dark colored with red eyes and a tongue that stuck out like a snake. The tentacles were actually the hair of a hideous face that Yunalesca was sitting upon like a throne. Overall, it looked like a gorgon.

* * *

"Ewww. She's ugly," reacted Pacce

Whether or not Yunalesca chose Pacce as her target because he was off-guard or because of that comment, they didn't know. Instead, she snapped her finger, and four torches within a circular ring appeared. From the middle came forth a monster wearing a mask and blue cloak and a right hand. It's fingers were replaced with sharp claws. With a wave of its hand, Pacce's body began to glow. Suddenly, a ball of light came out of his mouth and into the monster's hand before disappearing. As soon as it disappeared, Pacce keeled over.

"Pacce? PACCE!" shouted Maroda as he tried to wake Pacce up. He put his fingers at Pacce's neck and felt no pulse. He put his ears at his heart and heard no beat. His face was cold.

"Somone SAVE HIM!" shouted Maroda. But it was no use. No spell, even _Life_ , could revive him. Phoenix Downs were just as useless.

"See how it is useless to resist? Come, join your brother into a world with no worries," said Yunalesca silkily.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" roared Isaaru, his temper lost. He summoned Bahamut and made it use _Mega Flare_. However, even after such an attack, Yunalesca disposed of Bahamut like a rag doll.

"You have to do better than that," cackled Yunalesca as she held up her hand. A ball of light appeared in her hand, but it was starting to fade fast. "Defeat me, and this little boy's soul will come back. But you're running out of time. I estimate within 1 minute, his soul will depart for the Farplane."

Maroda roared as he jumped in to attack, but Yunalesca easily batted her away. Everybody tried desperately, but this new form was too strong for them to defeat her so easily. With time, they would be able to do it, but they were fighting the clock now.

Yuna was in a panic. She didn't know what to do! Then, she heard a small voice that appeared out of nowhere, ' _Summon me.'_ She shook her head, confused at who was saying it, but it sounded familiar. She moved to dodge a tentacle from hitting her, and she heard a jingle of coins. She looked down and remembered that she had a new summon she hadn't use before! Yojimbo had said that enemies feared his sword if he was paid enough.

"Everyone! I'm summoning!" she shouted. Everyone didn't know what else to do and obeyed, falling back. Yuna decided it was worth to use here Overdrive energy for a _Grand Summon_.

The four summoning lights came forth. This time, Yuna clasped both her hands at the middle of her staff with her foot set astride. Wind gathered around her and flared. Soon, she raised her staff into the air with her right arm only. At the top of her staff, sakura petals suddenly bloomed forth. The space distorted for a bit, and soon a full moon with clouds hovering across the sky could be seen. Sakura petals flew about and around. Then, a dog's bark could be heard, forcing Yuna to turn around to see a sakura tree had somehow bloomed next to her. However, her attention was towards the big lion-dog (Komainu) that was running towards her. She kneeled down to pet it, and the dog enjoyed it. Suddenly, the aeon Yojimbo could be seen from behind the tree as he slowly walked out into view. Taking slow but heavy steps, Yojimbo walked forward, his colorful cap billowing with the wind. Soon, the illusion disappeared, and Yojimbo was next to Yuna with his faithful dog by his side.

"YOU!" hissed Yunalesca in anger and... fear?

"Please, help us! We need to save a soul and we're running out of time!" pleaded Yuna as she was about to give the pouch full of 5000 gils in it. Yojimbo weighed it in her hand and shook his head, signifying it wasn't enough to finish her off fast.

"Dam miser. CATCH!" shouted Max as he tossed a pouch of 20,000 gils. Yojimbo caught it with his other hand, weighed it, and grinned as he nodded his head. The pouches suddenly dispersed into flames.

He held up his right hand in front of him, two fingers extend up as he channeled energy into it. Fire seemed to catch onto it, but it didn't burn him. Suddenly, from the depths of a black pit that spawned in front him, a sword flew out into the air before flipping back down right, where his left hand caught the sheath. He slowly drew out the blade with his right hand, the blade reflecting his face slowly. It was a long katana, one that was almost the same length of his whole body. Disposing of the sheath after he had fully drawn out the blade, he shifted his weight. Winds seemed to shift all around him as he prepared to attack.

"YOU! YOU DAMN FAKE!" shouted Yunalesca as she tried to attack Yojimbo.

It was scary to see someone who was so calm suddenly freak out when Yojimbo had been summoned. She never imagined anyone could summon him in the first place, due to how out of place it was. It wasn't well known, but the true reason for Yojimbo's location was because of fear. Fear of this outlier aeon becoming too powerful for a fayth that was not the final summon.

Yojimbo charged through, dragging his blade on the ground and unhindered by all the blows Yunalesca rained on him. With a graceful spin, Yojimbo slashed through Yunalesca. It was so swift and powerful, that everyone was blinded by the light after the slash. Soon the light died down, with Yunalesca seemingly unhurt. However, a few sakura petals flew by as Yojimbo turned his back at Yunalesca. With just a step, Yunalesca's body was suddenly neatly bisected in half.

Unable to sustain herself any longer, she collapsed into the floor, back into her normal form. The ball of light suddenly raced back to Pacce, entering into his body. With a quick cast of _Life_ from Dona, Pacce was suddenly breathing again. He was still unconscious, but he was alive. Maroda and Isaaru quickly ran to him, hugging him and crying. The rest were staring at Yunalesca's collapsed form. She was glaring at Yojimbo, who merely grinned and tilted his straw hat. Putting his hands together to form a handsign, he dispersed into a bunch of sakura petals, going back to where he come from. The dog also disappeared the same way.

They surrounded her, just in case she tried to do anything. However, at her state, she was unable to do anything but take her last breaths.

"If I die," she began, "so does the Final Aeon. And with it, Spira's only hope."  
"There is no hope if only truly gives up," replied Max, "There is always another way. It just hasn't been found yet."  
"Fool," replied Yunalesca, "There is no other way. Even if there was… Even if you did destroy Sin… Yu Yevon the immortal would only create Sin anew."  
"Yu Yevon!?" shouted everyone.  
"Ah… Zaon… Forgive me…," Yunalesca began to ramble, no longer caring she had an audience, "Spira has been robbed of the light of hope… All that remains is sorrow."

"Wait! What about Yu Yevon!?" shouted Paine. However, it was too late. Yunalesca suddenly dissolved into pyreflies.  
"I cannot believe what we just did," said Yuna.  
"Let's do something more unbelievable," replied Tidus with a grin.  
"Like what?" scoffed out Dona.  
"Destroy Sin," answered Tidus, "So it won't come back, and without the Final Aeon. I don't know how just yet. But like Max said, there has to be another way."

Pacce woke up to find both his brothers leaking tears and snot onto his body and wriggled, trying to get away. Everyone laughed as Pacce was telling them that it was disgusting to have snot and tears on his clothes, but Maroda and Isaaru didn't care. It took them a while to finally calm down.

* * *

Soon, everyone left the floating floor and back to the great hallway after searching for any clues. They managed to have Max take a few photos, but there was nothing that seemed to tell them anything. They hoped that Cid and his crew found something useful back in Bevelle. As everyone was exiting the great hallway, Auron, Tidus, Max, and Paine hung back. Pacce was about to call them out, but Isaaru gently pushed him forward, saying that they had an important conversation that shouldn't be disturbed. Nodding in understanding, Pacce ran forward before asking Barthello to give him a ride on his shoulders. By emphasizing on his manly muscles, Barthello easily agreed. Max quickly took this time to place a call to Cid, telling him to come pick them up at Zanarkand.

"We must talk," said Auron. Paine, Tidus, and Max nodded in reply. "There is something you should know."  
"I know…it's about you, right?" said Tidus.  
"I am also an unsent," replied Auron, "You three are not surprised?"  
"I kind of figured it out when I saw that image of the past," said Paine, "You were bleeding heavily after Yunalesca repulsed you. There was no way for you to have lived with no proper medical help for miles, even for a legendary guardian. But why, uncle?"  
"When Braska and Jecht died defeating Sin…I just couldn't accept it," replied Auron morosely, "Even though I knew I had to take care of you, Paine, I came back here…tried to avenge them. But she struck me down. Somehow I made my way, crawling, down Mount Gagazet. But my strength left me just outside Bevelle. That's where Kimahri found me. I told him about Yuna…just before I died. I've been wandering ever since, never going to the Farplane."  
"Auron…," said Max sadly. Both Tidus and Paine had the same expression. Paine was more understanding of her uncle's situation now, and couldn't blame him for the actions he took.  
"Don't make those faces," said Auron "Being dead has its advantages. I was able to ride Sin and go to your Zanarkand. Although I admit, with Max there, you two really made my hair age faster than normal. Especially with your inventions Max, causing explosions right in front of both of your faces. I can't tell how many times I panicked, hoping that you two weren't dead."

Paine couldn't help but snicker at this while Max tried to look innocent while whistling.  
"And you've been watching over me since then, haven't you?" asked Tidus, "Why? What's the big idea? Why me?"  
"It is one of those things that is difficult to explain," explained Auron before deciding on kneeling in front of them "Very well, I will show you. My memories." He suddenly dissolved into pyreflies for a brief moment, allowing them to see a glimpse of a specific memory. They watched it from Auron's point of view.

* * *

 _Jecht was standing outside the door, ready to become the Final Summoning. However, he stopped for a second, his back still facing Auron before asking "Can I ask you one last favor? Uh… Nah. Never mind."  
"Out with it!" demanded Auron.  
"Okay. Listen good, Take care of my son," said Jecht. Auron was slightly taken aback by this request and could only respond with a huh. Jechtt turned around to face him, "My son, in Zanarkand. He's such a crybaby. He needs someone there to hold his hand, see? Take care of him, will you?"  
"But how am I supposed to go to Zanarkand?" asked Auron desperately.  
Jecht chuckled at this, " Hey! You said it yourself! There must be a way to get there, right? You'll find it."  
"All right, I will! I give you my word. I'll take care of your son. I'll guard him with my life," responded Auron resolutely.  
"Thanks, Auron," replied Jecht before grinning, "You were always such a stiff, but that's what I liked about you."_

* * *

Soon, he solidified back to his body, "That is why."

"Ouch," said Max, "He didn't think his wife was enough?"

"I think... Jecht knew that if he was gone for too long, that his wife, Tidus's mother, would pass away from heartbreak," answered Auron, "That is why he asked me, just in case. I originally planned to bring Paine and Yuna to Besaid village. Braska requested me to bring Yuna there, and I felt it was safer if Paine was with Yuna. Once I found a way to your Zanarkand, I would bring them with me. However, after a series of events, including the fatal injury I received, I became unable to bring both with me. Kimahri was the one who got my last message, though only half of it."

Paine suddenly hugged Auron, surprising them all. Auron stood still before gently and awkwardly hugging her back. Paine looked up into his eyes and said, "Thank you. I think I can finally find it in my heart to forgive you and throw away the thought that you abandoned me."

Auron didn't do waterworks, but one stray tear leaked out of his eyes at that statement. He quickly wiped it away before adopting his stoic appearance again.

"Let's go."

Leading the way, Auron brought them back to where everyone was. The sun was rising, and dawn could be seen. A huge shadow was casting upon them, though, so they couldn't see the sunrise.

Wait...

Everyone stared at the object blocking the shadow and realized it was Sin, standing up and staring with its many eyes! However, instead of wiping them all out, Sin merely stared at them. They could hear something from Sin's skin, like the wails of lost souls.

'Dad?' thought out Tidus, 'I know. The Final Summoning's gone. But I'll think of something! Just give me a little more time!'

As if hearing his thoughts, Sin nodded before turning around, away from them. Now they could see Sin at it's full glory without anything interfering, Sin looked scary and huge. Max was quickly snapping photos, hoping something would tell him how to defeat Sin. As Sin was gliding away, Cid's airship arrived. It went past Sin, and Sin did nothing to the airship, ignoring it as if it wasn't there.

"Hopefully, Dad's got something," mumbled Rikku. Everyone nodded and quickly entered the ship as it landed and opened it's doors.

* * *

 **Hoped you liked this chapter! Yes, I modified Tidus Overdrive Blitz Ace. Seriously, why would you stab your sword into the ground and use it to jump? Just use your enemy as a launchpad! Also, I wanted to summon Yojimbo. That summon is op if you have the gils. I went and checked, and yes, you can use Zanmato on Yunalesca. However, to kill her, it must be on her third form. If you do it on her first and second form, it will just trigger the next state.**

 **Read and Review, PLEASE!**

 **Also, a side note. The poll for my story Jaune of Fake vs. Jaune of Dragon will be closing on January 12, 2017 at exactly 11:59 P.M. If you haven't voted or read them yet, take some time to read it and vote which one should be expanded. I appreciate feedback on that as well as this.**


	40. Chapter 39 Hidden Weapon

**Disclaimer:Don't own FFX**

 **New chapter at earlier time planned! Yaa!**

* * *

"So.. Watcha got?" asked Cid as he looked at the party. They all seemed pretty shell-shocked from what they did. Everyone except Tidus, Max, and Auron. Barthello and Dona decided to skip the meeting and head straight for a bed to sleep. Maroda took Pacce with him to a room to sleep, leaving Isaaru to stay at the bridge.

"We kicked Yunalesca's butt and finished her off," said Tidus.

"Destroyed a stupid tradition, making the Final Summoning impossible," continued Max.

"Found out something about Yu Yevon," said Tidus.

"And now we just need to know more about Yevon and Sin if we want to kick its ass," finished Max

Cid just stared at the two before laughing out loud.

"Gehehe! So you two are tradition breakers, too! Well, I certainly approve of my niece and daughter dating the two of you a little more now! But don't get too cocky. I still need to see if you two are worthy," laughed out Cid. Yuna and Rikku broke out of their shock and blushed, but not before aiming a kick at both his shins. Cid ended up bending down, trying to soothe the pain on his knees.

"So, did you get anything from Mika?" asked Max.

Cid shook his head, "Stubborn goat won't tell a soul. If he had a soul, considering he's an unsent. Maybe you folks would have a better chance. By the way, Nooj wants to see you specifically, Max."

Max looked surprised at this before nodding.

"So... Off to Bevelle then," announced Auron.

"Then let us think of a way to deal with Sin while we are traveling," said Lulu, "What do we know with the knowledge on hand?"

"Sin is Jecht. Thus, Tidus has a link with Sin. That may be our key," said Auron.

"Wait, what?" asked Cid in confusion. Rikku decided to take his father to the side and update him on the situation.

"Is there anything you can tell us about your old man?" asked Wakka.

"Not really. I didn't like him when I was younger," mumbled Tidus. He now knew his father did care for him, but it was hard to let go of the hate you felt all your life.

"Nothing at all?" asked Isaaru.

"He liked to brag a lot, drink a lot, and play blitzball," said Tidus, "That was all I knew him for. That was what most of my people knew him for." He frowned as he kept thinking, "The only thing we had in common was we both liked to hum the same song."

While they were thinking, Tidus, Yuna, Rikku, and Max decided to take a walk around the ship. Just staying at the bridge felt too stressful. Also, they hadn't had a date thanks to the pilgrimage. Just walking around, hand in hand, was at least a start for them as a double-date. They reached to the top deck, just admiring the clouds go by. After a few minutes just leaning against their respective dates, they finally decided to head back to the bridge. They took a little longer than usual, thanks to a few side stops they made, one of them was finding an empty room so they could make out for a bit. After making sure they were all dressed properly again without raising any suspicion, they arrived back to the deck to see Wakka all excited.

"I got it! And since it was my great idea, I'm going to be the one to say it. You see since Jecht is your old man..."

"The Hymns the key," interrupted Lulu. Wakka groaned in disappointment while Isaaru patted him on the back in pity.

"The Hymn?" asked Tidus.

"Sir Jecht likes the Hymn of the Fayth, correct?" said Lulu. Tidus nodded in reply.  
"That's why he was listening to it in Macalania!" said Rikku, bopping her hands.  
"Sin, the violent incarnate, listening peacefully to his favorite song," added Paine.  
"Let me say it. If we attack Sin head-on, we've little chance of winning. However, if he hears the Hymn of the Fayth, he will become docile," explained Lulu.  
"Yeah, and that's when we make our move! Might be against the rules and all, but who's keeping track, ya? Ya?" said Wakka, happy he could insert his opinion in.

"Hmm. Sounds like a good plan," said Max.

"All right! We got something. But we should see what Bevelle has to offer before we finalize this," said Tidus as he raised his hand, doing a fist pump.

"Roger," replied everyone.

* * *

They finally arrived at Bevelle to see that it had undergone a massive change. Crusaders and warrior monks were working together to help protect the city. They now publicly had machina helping to fight off any fiends. As they were walking down the long road they had once used to escape, they were greeted by Nooj, Gippal, and Baralai, along with Luzzu and Gatta.

"Welcome back," greeted Luzzu. Everyone respectfully responded back appropriately.

"We want to see Mika," said Tidus. "We feel like he might have something useful."

"All right," said Nooj, motioning Luzzu and Gatta forward, "These two will lead you to where we are keeping Mika prisoner. However, after you're done, I need Max to come with me to see something. It involves something of his... expertise."

Max raised his eyebrow at this but nodded.

Soon, they were all at a prison cell, where ex-maestor Mika sat on the floor, meditating. He soon woke up as soon as he saw three summoners and their party approaching.

"Why are you here? You must go and defeat Sin, quickly! One of you three have obtained the Final Aeon from Yunalesca, have you not?" asked Mika frantically.  
"Well..., we did meet her," replied Tidus.  
"We fought and defeated her," finished Yuna. Mika gasped in shock.  
"Summoners and guardians will be sacrificed for the Final Summoning no more!" said Auron fiercely.  
"You have profaned and subverted a thousand-year-old tradition?" stated Mika in shock and horror, "Fools! Infants! Do you realize what you've done? You've taken away the only means of calming Sin!"  
"One crappy way. There has to be another way. And based on your reaction, you and your stupid cult never bothered to try to find one," growled Max.  
"Why… Preposterous! There is no other way!" shouted Mika, not even denying Max's last sentence. "Spira has lost its only hope. Destruction is inevitable. Yu Yevon's spiral of death will consume us all. I have no desire to watch Spira die."  
"It won't die!" replied Yuna with confidence  
"Who is this Yu Yevon guy?" asked Tidus. Yunalesca had mentioned him before dying.  
"He who crafts the souls of the dead into unholy armor," replied Mika, "An armor called Sin. Clad in it, Yu Yevon is invincible. And the only thing that could have pierced that armor, you have destroyed! Nothing can stop it now." He face showed complete despair, having lost the Final Summoning. He looked up one last time before dispersing into pyreflies, showing he had fled to the Farplane.

"Wait!" shouted Isaaru. However, Mika showed no signs of coming back.

"Huh. He didn't do that before," said Gatta.

"Perhaps he only stayed was because he believed he could come back to power when Sin is defeated by the Final Summoning. Without it now, he lost hope," pondered Luzzu. Luzzu and Gatta both turned to them before they realized what they had actually done.

"You destroyed the Final Summoning!?" Luzzu and Gatta shouted, with their mouths agape.

"Yep. Lady Yunalesca was pretty but mean," replied Pacce.

Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal had entered into the prison just in time to hear about Yu Yevon and demanded to be updated. While the party was telling them their tale, a spirit appeared to only Max, Yuna, and Tidus. It was the fayth of Bahamut, telling them to head to his room. Nodding, they left, excusing themselves from the crowd.

* * *

They went through without having to do the trials at all. The pathway suddenly opened a direct line towards the Chamber of the Fayth. They entered to see the same purple-dressed child floating above his statue.

"Hello," greeted the fayth. Max, Tidus, and Yuna bowed in return, Yuna thanking him for the aeon.

"Have you truly found a way to defeat Sin?" asked Bahamut.

"We have some plans," replied Max.

"We plan on using the Hymn of the Fayth to calm Sin down," explained Tidus, "Since my old man is Sin, I know he'll calm down, even for a bit. After that, we beat it from the inside. But who is Yu Yevon?"

"Yu Yevon was once a summoner, long ago. He was peerless. Yet now he lives for one purpose: only to summon. He is neither good nor evil. He is awake, yet he dreams. But…maybe not forever," said Bahamut.  
"Yeah, that's right. Because we're ending it," said Tidus with confidence.  
Bahamut nodded before looking at Yuna directly, "Yu Yevon lives inside Sin. Yuna, listen. When you fight Yu Yevon, we will help you. Promise me you'll summon us. I'm afraid your weapons and magic won't be enough. Please, call us. Promise?" Yuna nodded in reply.  
Bahamut then looked to Max and Tidus with a sad grin, "But, you know… When it is all over…we will wake, and our dream will end. Our dream will vanish. I'm sorry."

Tidus and Max just shook their head, "We're ok."

The fayth vanished, ending the conversation. Immediately, Yuna turned around to ask what the fayth was sorry about, but they both shrugged it off, saying it wasn't important. Yuna persisted, but a look from both of them forced her to stop. Just as they left, Yuna held back a bit.  
"You're a bad liar, you know?" she said to the departing figure of Tidus. Max had a better poker face than Tidus, but she could still tell something was up.

* * *

Max and Tidus were walking with Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal down a hallway that had nobody in it and dim lights. After regrouping, everyone decided to take some time off for a breather. After being on such an arduous journey, they needed to get some R&R for a week before they took on Sin. However, the two native Zanarkandian had snuck out in the middle of the night to see what Nooj wanted. Originally, they did not want Tidus to come. However, Max told them that he felt better if Tidus came, as he could offer some insight. Seeing that Max wouldn't let it go, they proceeded to sneak out with Tidus.

"Something wrong, Tidus?" asked Max. Tidus had been jumpy ever since they arrived at this hallway, but he wasn't sure why.

"I dunno," he replied, "For some reason, this hallway seems familiar... Like a far off dream. But that doesn't make sense since I've never been here."

Baralai, Nooj, and Gippal quickly glanced at each other, silently communicating with each other. As they continued down the path, Tidus started to see visions. At first, it was him and Yuna running down the hallway, trying to escape from somewhere. He quickly shook his head clear of the vision and continued following them. However, it persisted, and he saw in the vision they were being chased by people with guns. They kept trying to outrun them, but finally ended up in a room with a huge machina looming over them. Lights suddenly flashed on them, and the soldiers were pointing their guns at them. Yuna and Tidus looked at each one last time, giving each other a kiss. Soon, the soldiers fired, killing Yuna and himself. Unable to handle the vision, Tidus suddenly collapsed. Max was instantly on his knees, helping Tidus up.

"What happened?" asked Max with concern, "Not enough sleep?"

"No," replied Tidus shakily, "Some sort of demented vision. It ended with me dying with Yuna by my side, being gunned down. But this makes no sense. It's not a memory, and I'm sure it's not the future, either."

Nooj, looking concerned and uncomfortable, replied, "It may have to do with Shuyin and Lenne. You with Shuyin, and Lenne with Yuna are almost exact copies. Almost like reincarnations. When the two of you shook hands back at Mushroom Rock, he may have given you some of his memories by accident. During our trip to the Den of Woe, I saw a few memories of Shuyin while he was possessing me. One of them deals with this exact spot, with Lenne and Shuyin. You may be seeing his memory, but accidentally replacing their figures with yours."

"So, this area has to be special if Shuyin died here," guessed Max. They all nodded but told Max to hold his questions until later. Soon, they finally reached a door, where they all stopped.

"Originally... this was never to see the light of day. However, with the Final Summoning gone, this may be our best bet. Unfortunately, we can't even begin to understand how this machina works. We're not sure when this was built, only that it was very long ago. We're scouring the archives to see what it might tell us," said Nooj.

"Yea. I'm an Al Bhed, and I can't even comprehend what the heck that machina is. I don't think any of my fellow people could either," said Gippal seriously.

"You, though, are our best shot. Gippal explained to us what you do as your job/hobby. Perhaps you could comprehend this better," said Baralai.

Each one of them nodded before opening the door, letting out a blast of air. They walked in a dark room until they finally reached a platform in the middle. The lights flashed on, and before them, was a giant machina that seemed to be the shape of a moth. Its size was huge, just a bit smaller than Sin.

"Whoa... What is this?" said Max in awe. He flicked out his arm computer, finding a plug to jack in.

"Vegnagun," breathed out Tidus. "A weapon over a thousand-year-old."

"How did you know the name?" asked Max.

Tidus didn't answer as he suddenly had another vision.

* * *

 _This time, he saw Shuyin, walking alone towards Vegnagun._

" _I'll save you, Lenne. Even if I have to do this alone," Shuyin says out loud. He walked up to the machina and activated it. Playing a series of notes like a piano, the machina woke up, ready. However, before he could do anything else, Lenne came running in._

" _You must stop!" Lenne yelled. Surprised that his girlfriend, his lover, was here, Shuyin stopped playing and turned around, leaving Vegnagun on standby. Suddenly, soldiers bust down the door, running in with their guns ready. Shuyin jumped off the machina and hurried to Lenne, hugging her. Both of them gave each other one last lover's glance before the soldiers fire upon them, killing both of them. As they collapsed to the floor, both of them gave one last look to each other before blacking out._

* * *

"Whoa!" shouted Tidus loudly. Suddenly, everything around them activated with noise blaring.

"What's going on?" demanded Gippal.

Max was rapidly typing in commands, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Whoa," said Max, "This thing's sentient? Is there an AI in this machina? But the programming's horrible. It can't even tell friend from foe."

Tidus shook his head, clearing it out. At the same time, some information he was sure was from Shuyin came through his head. The machina started to move, as if scared and was trying to fly away. Max was trying to stop it from going anyway, but with just his arm computer and not his main computer or even his laptop, he was having a hard time bypassing its programming.

"We have to destroy it!" said Nooj, fearing for Spira. This made Vegnagun struggle even harder, banging on the walls.

"Everyone STOP!" shouted Tidus. Amazingly, even Vegnagun stopped moving. Tidus quickly jumped up to the main control panel. He took a deep breath. He had no idea how to even play the piano, but if Shuyin's memory was correct, he merely needed to play a few notes to calm it down. Any other complicated commands needed a song, but most likely Max would able to synthesize the song if needed.

Vegnagun soon finally calmed down, letting Max try to figure out how to operate it. Tidus put his hand softly on the keyboard.

"You were scared, weren't you?" whispered Tidus. Vegnagun played out a sound in affirmation.

"Please. I need your help. Shuyin activated you once to try to save his lover. Now, Max and I are doing the same. Max is trying to fix you. Will you help us?"

Another sound, this also in affirmation.

"Do you have enough power to live through this?" asked Tidus.

Vegnagun paused for a second before letting a different sound, this time replying no.

"Max!" shouted Tidus, "Can you fix this machina up? Or at least preserve the program since it's sentient?"

Max was still concentrating on fixing a few programs while trying to read the weapons schematics. He was amazed at it, but also horrified to find out this had enough firepower to destroy Spira. These blueprints couldn't see the light of day. He already had plans for this to self-destruct when it's use was done. He didn't hear Tidus until Nooj nudged him, pointing him at Tidus. Baralai and Gippal were still in shock at what was happening.

Tidus repeated his question, and Max took a look back at his computer and frowned. The programming had too many errors, some based on software but many by hardware. Time had not been kind to the hardware, and it was a miracle that it was working still. Even with the proper equipment and materials, it would take years to have this back at full capacity. It's base program to kill everything worked, but anything else was trashed. He shook his head before telling Tidus about the self-destruct he was planning.

Before Tidus could argue, Vegnagun had reached a conclusion. It let out another sound, this time sounding in resignation before back to confirmation.

"Are you sure?" asked Tidus softly, touching the keyboard once more. Vegnagun played out the sound in confirmation. Thanks to Max's programming, Vegnagun was up and running once more.

"This stays between us," said Tidus darkly to them all. They all nodded in response once Max told them it's destructive power.

After a bit of planning, they finally figured out how to move it and how to fire after Max explored Bevelle a little more, finding an opening for Vegnagun to come out. As Max kept tinkering and exploring, the fayth of Bahamut appeared to Tidus once more.

"I have something to tell you," Bahamut said, "Something I couldn't risk saying in front of a resident of Spira. It deals with your chance of coming back here. However, I can't guarantee IF you two can ever come back. If you take this deal, then nobody can summon your spirit from the Farplane. You two will cease to exist for an unknown duration of time. "

After calling Max back, they both discussed for 20 seconds before nodding, accepting the deal.

"Alright. I'll tell Cosmos about our representatives. You're to be summoned after Sin is gone," said Bahamut before disappearing.

"A chance in the dark, huh," muttered Max, not liking the deal. There was no guarantee to ever come back, even if they did their best and above the rest. It would more likely force them to stay behind.

"A goal is in sight. It's our job to aim for that goal," replied Tidus seriously. Max grinned, raising his hand for a fist-bump, "You were always the leader."

As they walked back towards their room, Tidus had an idea.

"Can I ask you to make something? I want to let Yuna have something if we are just... dreams."

Max nodded in reply while already coming up with designs for his own gift for Rikku. It wouldn't be easy, between trying to fix up Vegnagun, the airship, and maybe upgrade weapons, but he had a week to do so.

* * *

 **And here is VEGNAGUN! Muhahah! As I was planning the fight against Sin, I was watching some videos of a walkthrough against Sin to refresh my memories. Someone raised a good point as I was watching it. If the machina at Mushroom Rock couldn't penetrate Sin's shield, then how could some weapons and a cannon from the ship be able to attack without any shielding? So, I decided to... change it up a bit. Also, makes it so I don't have to write an FFX-2 spinoff. Read and Review please!**


	41. Chapter 40 Downtime, and SIN!

**And here is the weekly release, as usual.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own FFX.**

 **Also, I do not plan on doing Omega Dungeon. It's not relevant to the story. The extra summons are kind of relevant as they are seen at the ending, so that's why I put them in, even if I don't go into too much detail about them. Read and Review!**

* * *

Yuna woke up in a sweat. She looked around to see she was still in a room in Bevelle, sleeping with Lulu and Rikku. She took a deep breath as she shivered from her dreams. She saw a memory of Lenne and Shuyin being shot down, their love separated throughout the passage of time. Then, the dream vividly changed to her and Tidus being separated. She looked out the window to see it was still dark. Falling back to bed, she only hoped it was just a dream and only that.

The next morning, everyone gathered to discuss what plans they had or what they could do. Max was missing, however, but Tidus told them that he was busy crafting some more items for their final showdown with Sin. After scouring the Bevelle library, Cid found two more hidden temples in Spira that had no priests guarding it. After a short discussion, Yuna agreed that she should go fetch them, along with her party. Max wouldn't be joining as he would be busy in his forge. He was calling in O'aka and eliminating all his debt in exchange for helping him get a few key materials for his projects. Max was happy when he found out Rorick, the Ronso blacksmith, and his son had survived, although prominent Ronso figures such as Maestor Kelk Ronso, Biran, and Yenke died fighting Seymour. When Max showed him the item he had found in Zanarkand, Rorick became ecstatic and gibbered out that it was the final piece for upgrading Tidus's weapon. So Tidus gave his sword back to Max to upgrade before fetching a spare sword in the Bevelle armory. Max also gave him one of his guns just in case. Surprisingly, Wakka, Paine, and even Auron asked for some better weapons.

While Yuna and her party took the airship to what was Baaj temple. Isaaru stayed to help out in Bevelle as a summoner, helping the people of Spira calm their fears. Dona and Barthello hitched a ride on the airship back to Kilika to rest up.

"All right, Let's meet back in one week! Nooj is working on telling everyone to sing the Hymn of the Fayth when they see and hear a ship in the sky playing the song," said Max, "With my programs still in place, it'll be easier to just broadcast the news to everyone."

"And we'll go check out this Baaj temple we found from the archives as well as Remiem Temple that seems to have been forgotten," said Tidus.

"Remiem temple. A temple that was inaccessible after High Summoner Gandof fought Sin in the Calm Lands. Many people have forgotten it even exists," said Lulu.

"Wow, Lu. You knew about it?" said Wakka, impressed.

Lulu blushed and looked away, not even bothering to answer that question.

Everyone went their separate ways for a while. Rikku wanted to stick with Max, but he sternly told her that Yuna was her summoner and that she needed to be next to her. The only reason why he was staying was so he could have time to craft what they needed for the final fight, and couldn't afford interference, even from her. Rikku pouted and huffed away, making Max promise that they would do something special afterward.

After visiting the temples, they would return to wherever they felt was relaxing. For Wakka, Lulu, and Yuna, that meant Besaid Village. Rikku and Tidus decided it would be fine if they relaxed there too. Auron and Paine were content staying on the ship. Kimahri would actually be going to Mt. Gagazet in hope of burying the dead with their respective horns. Then, he would try to convince the Ronso to temporarily relocate to Bevelle just for a bit.

* * *

 _Five days later_

In the heart of Bevelle, one could hear the noise of jackhammers and high-powered screwdrivers. Max was working on improving Vegnagun when ever he could. Vegnagun would relax when Max was around, but would still be cautious of Gippal, Nooj, and Baralai.

"How's it going?" asked Gippal.

"Not bad. Destroying all those droids for parts helped, but without the proper materials, Vegnagun still won't be able to live after firing its shots," replied Max, "Is Cid fixing the special weapons on the airship? I sent him the blueprints and what to do."

Gippal nodded in reply. Truthfully, some of the more experienced Al Bhed felt insulted that somebody else was better than machina than they were. At first, they refused help, saying they could do it themselves. It was only after Cid painfully showing them why he was the boss did they follow orders. And even now, Gippal wasn't sure if the pride of those repairmen allowed them to follow everything on the list.

Max jumped down, sweating from all his work. He would have loved to have some extra hands to help him, but they didn't want to risk the knowledge of how this weapon even work fall into any hands.

"I've done all I can. Vegnagun, we're counting on you," said Max, looking up.

Vegnagun let out a noise in affirmation before slowly powering down. He went back to his forge, where he had dozens of items and weapons either finished or still in the process of. Rorick, along with his son, had helped immensely, cutting down the time to make them. He gazed at the gifts he crafted, with Tidus telling him exactly what he wanted, for Yuna, and his own gift for Rikku. Hopefully, this would just be gifts to show their love, and not gifts to remember them by.

Tidus was at the beach, relaxing with Yuna, Wakka, Lulu, and the Besaid Aurochs. Going to Baaj temple brought some chilling memories. Apparently, it was the same place that he and Max had first entered into Spira. Luckily, since his pilgrimage increased his strength immensely, he was able to beat the giant fish that tried to eat him earlier with the help of Rikku and Wakka. What was more surprising was that the fayth inside was actually Seymour's mother. She was the fayth of Anima, the dark aeon. Apparently, even when she did become the Final Summoning for Seymour, he shirked away from that duty. Instead, he used that power to allow him instead Yevon, gaining power and prestige until he finally took on the title of Maestor. She admitted to being disappointed with Seymour, and begged Yuna for forgivness. In return, she became her aeon, Anima, though not as her Final Summon.

They later went to Remiem temple by airship, and was astonished to find such a grand temple silent. As they entered the main hall, the first thing they saw was someone actually standing in the middle of the hall. Yuna recognized her instantly as Belgemine. She was another summoner that everyone met during their travels, and would challenge Yuna to an aeon battle while also teaching her valuable lessons. Yuna was surprised to see Belgemine as an unsent, but before she sent her away, Belgemine held up her hand. She promised the she would allow Yuna to send her away, only if she could prove she was strong enough to fight every aeon she had at her disposal. In return, she would grant them the aeon of Remiem temple, the Magus Sisters.

Yuna agreed to this match, and soon, it was a blur. Aeons fought each other to prove whose summoner was stronger, and when one was dismissed, another would take its place. The only exception to this battle was Yojimbo, as Belgemine had no gils to pay him. It was surprising to see her summon Anima, but through sheer determination, Yuna won. After gaining the aeons, Belgemine bowed in respect before dispersing herself to the Farplane.

After that, Yuna decided she wanted to see the fayth of Valefor one more time before relaxing. She went alone, praying inside for a bit. She later came out with a smile on her face.

Tidus looked out to the sea, enjoyed the salty air and the breeze. Soon, it would be time for the final showdown. Yuna sat next to him and held his hands, Both said nothing as they laid their heads together and watched the sun set.

Later that night, Tidus suddenly woke up from Yuna prodding her. Putting a finger to his mouth, she motioned him to join him on a midnight stroll. She swore that they wouldn't go anywhere dangerous, not the Tidus minded. They soon arrived at a small lake with a waterfall pouring into it. Yuna was telling him about her favorite place, and why she thought it was beautiful. Soon, she decided to ask her question.

"What did the fayth mean?" interrogated Yuna.

Tidus shook his head, "It's nothing. It's just that the fayth kind of blames himself for transporting me, Max, and my father to Spira. Nothing big." It was a partial lie. True, the fayth was sorry, but for what was going to happen.

Yuna stared at Tidus's face, as if trying to catch a lie, before deciding it wasn't worth it. She lied down next to him, both of them watching the night sky.

"There is... one thing I want to do," said Yuna. "I'm not very experienced with life, and all I know is what I learned from the temple. Still, I hope you can guide me."

Confused Tidus gazed at Yuna. Blushing she stood up before slowly taking her robes off. Tidus could only stare in shock as Yuna took off her clothes, leaving her in just her undergarments.

"Please... This may be our last chance. I don't want to-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Tidus kissed her passionately. Responding with enthusiasm, Yuna kissed back. However, when she tried to take her bra off, Tidus stopped her.

"No. You're... We're going on this way too fast. I don't want you to regret this," said Tidus.

"But-" said Yuna, but Tidus interrupted her.

"You're just confused. And afraid. Trust me, we'll have plenty of time once Sin is gone. And I promise you, you won't be sacrificed."

"But what if you die?" said Yuna as tears started to come out, "I want to at least have something to remember you,"

"I won't die from Sin," promised Tidus, "I'll protect you from Sin, so you won't die, either."

Looking into his eyes, Yuna could feel that Tidus meant it. Nodding, she merely sighed. Tidus kissed her forehead before helping her back into her clothes. As they walked back to her house, Tidus was about to leave when Yuna grabbed his shirt, preventing him from leaving.

"Then, at least. Just for the night. Just sleep next to me. I want to wake up next to you," requested Yuna. Tidus agreed, and the two of them slept in the same bed.

"What happened to make you do this?" asked Tidus.

"A bad dream," replied Yuna, "One that you and I died were separated. I was terrified, and I didn't want to lose you."

Tidus hugged Yuna tightly. Yuna breathed in his aroma, feeling more calm before falling asleep onto his chest. Tidus soon followed afterward.

They went to Luca to relax for their last day. The Luca Goers were anxious to play against Tidus and Max again but were slightly disappointed to see Max had not come. Never the less, they enjoyed a game of blitzball. To make it more interesting, they got all the blitzball players together and mixed up the teams. They spent the whole day just laughing and playing, with Yuna, Lulu, and Rikku cheering them on. Soon, it came time to fight Sin.

* * *

Everyone met back at Bevelle, inside a room. They were waiting for Max to come. The plan was that Yuna and her party was to get on the ship and fight Sin if needed. Baralai and Gippal wanted to join them in the assault, but was voted out. Isaaru would remain in Bevelle with Nooj, hoping his presence would calm people down. Dona and Barthello had decided not to join onto the ship. Their reasons were... all over the place, but in short, they had gotten together and gone all the way. They did it several times each day, and so Dona was expecting to be with a child. They apologized and said they would do their best with Isaaru defending Bevelle. Once they managed to damage Sin to the point that it needed to land, they would go inside Sin and find a way to destroy Yu Yevon. Easiest way was through the mouth, but if they needed, they had a few options to blow a hole through Sin. They also made a fact that they couldn't depend on Yojimbo for everything, as Max did not have enough gils to give to Yuna to bribe him. All his gils went on stocking them up for the final fight.

The door was suddenly kicked open, and in came Max with Rorick, Brother, and Cid, each carrying a crate.

"All right! First things first! Tidus, your new weapon is complete." said Max, chucking him his sword. With the addition of the Sun Crest, the sword looked even more radiant and powerful. Tidus grinned as he gave it a few experimental swings.

"Next up! Wakka!" announced Max as he tossed a blitzball at him and gloves. Wakka looked at it in confusion. It looked exactly like his own ball. The gloves were nice, though, as he put it on.

"Throw it at that," said Max, pointing to a dummy that had been set up. Dubious, Wakka threw it into the dummy. Instead of the usual sound of a ball hitting an enemy, there was an explosion on impact.

"Whoahohoh," grinned Wakka as the ball bounced back towards him, catching it with ease.

"Your's was tricky," said Max, "I had to look through a lot of designs. In short, small impacts won't cause the explosion. However, if you throw it past a certain speed, then it'll explode on anything it comes in contact with. Your gloves were specially designed for the ball to sense it's owner. Meaning if the ball comes flying back at you, you won't have to worry about it exploding on you. Also, you can recall it back with a press of a button on the back of your hand, similar to Barthello's gauntlet. Let's call out _Champion Blitzball_."

Wakka just grinned as he spun the ball with his finger.

"Alright. Paine! You requested a long blade, similar to you uncle, and yet at the same time, you wanted something different. I give you _Gunblade_! I totally did not steal that from another dimension, world, or video that I saw!" said Max, whistling in innocence.

Everyone decided to ignore his last sentence. Max took out the sword. It looked quite similar to her old blade, just sleeker and sharper. However, at the base of the sword was a series of gears instead of the skull. Max pulled the trigger that was located just under the hilt. Suddenly, the blade bent 90 degrees down, showing a muzzle.

"It's similar to Tidus's buckler hand cannon but carries less ammo and bang. I was limited on the size of your handgrip," explained Max. Paine merely smiled as she took the blade, admiring its balance.

"Last is yours, Auron. You said you were fine keeping the same style while having something with better cutting power, so no major changes. Its name is _Masamune_ ," said Max, withdrawing the final blade. Its design was similar to his old huge katana. The hand grip had been adjusted to suit his hand better. The blade itself was longer and sturdier than his old one. However, on the blade itself was an inscription.

 _Hope never dies_.

Auron smirked at this inscription before taking it. After that, Max divided a few items amongst them all as a precaution. He gave a bigger pouch for Rikku to store in any materials she needed for mixing items up. Max then gave a comlink to Nooj, Tidus, and Cid, stating he could only make a few of them.

"Let's do this," said Tidus. They all nodded and went to their positions. Max was walking with Baralai, Nooj, and Gippal away from the ship.

"Hey! Where are you going!" shouted Rikku. The rest of the guardians turned around in surprise.

"Don't worry! I'll join up with you guys. Tidus knows what to do," replied Max as he continued to walk until he was out of their sight.

Rikku pouted. She really wanted to spend some more time with Max, but he insisted that she take a break while he worked on a few important tasks that only he could do.

"What is he doing?" Rikku asked Tidus, prodding him. She kept prodding him until Tidus got annoyed and told her to just wait and see.

The airship flew up into the air. Cid was using the sphere oscillo-finder to find Sin. He found Sin flying in the air, something that scared them all for a bit. He looked at Brother, who nodded and hit the play button. Soon, the Hymn of the Fayth could be heard playing from the ship. All the citizens who heard the song and saw the ship also started to sing. Even the speakers in Luca and Bevelle were also joining in on the song. In one unified voice, Spira was singing the Hymn of the Fayth to calm Sin down.

"Looks like its working!" said Lulu.

"Hahaha! Just like what I though!" said Wakka gleefully. Lulu automatically told him to shut up, in which he quickly obeyed.

Tidus walked near the edge, looking at the world below him before turning to Yuna.

"You don't need this anymore, right?" asked Tidus, holding up a memory sphere that Yuna had dropped. She looked at it in surprise, looking through her clothing for it. She thought she had lost it on the way to Zanarakand. Before she could ask for it back, Tidus chucked it over the edge. Yuna saw it disappear before smiling, remembering what Tidus had promised. Sin, floating in the air in a sphere made out of energy, seemed to be hypnotized by the singing ship, following them to the Calm Lands, somewhat near Bevelle, where they planned to end it there.

* * *

Back at Bevelle, Max was getting ready to use Vegnagun. After all his work, Vegnagun would only have two shots before it broke down. He planned to make them count.

"All right! Systems are green! Open the hatches!" shouted Max. Gippal and Baralai nodded and quickly had the hatches opened. Vegnagun, sensing freedom of movement for the first time, jumped out with a happy sound. It flew around Bevelle for a few seconds like a guardian, having its citizens gaze at in awe. Soon, it settled itself at the highest peak of Bevelle, on the temple itself. It transformed from a giant moth to a machina with a huge cannon, ready to fire. Its tail dove into the floor, the legs latching onto whatever structure it could to stabilize itself.

"Hope Jecht won't be too pissed about this," muttered Max as he typed into his arm computer a few more commands. Luckily, he had been able to convert the musical series into a more appropriate language for himself. The cannon began to charge.

* * *

Suddenly, the airship started to shake.

"Hey, guys?" said Wakka worriedly, "Guys? That's not good, ya?"

"Like it wasn't obvious," stated Pain sarcastically.

Sin, as if snapping from its hypnotic trance, roared as it started to gather energy above its head. With its mouth feeding it more energy, the ball was threatening to destroy all life. Even the clouds started to move as one, forming a vortex above Sin.

"Get us closer to Bevelle!" shouted Tidus, "We don't want to miss what happens next!"

"What happens next?" asked Yuna, trying to stand up. Kimahri was next to her, making sure she didn't fall.

"What in blazes is that!?" shouted Cid at the intercom as he saw what was at Bevelle.

" _ **Y suhcdan! Y rika suhcdan!"**_ replied Brother.

"That's what Max has been working on, Rikku," said Tidus. Rikku was too busy ogling at the machina moth.

"When did he have time to even build this?" asked Auron faintly. He had way too much experience with Max's invention to not trust it to not blow up in their face.

"He didn't," replied Paine surprisingly, "I recognize that machina. I saw it in a sphere once at the Den of Woes.

"Vegnagun," answered Tidus, "A weapon made almost a thousand years ago by Bevelle. However, it was deemed too dangerous as it was sentient. However, Max and I managed to calm it down and fix it. Unfortunately, once it has done its job, it's going to die. So let's make it count."

* * *

"Umm Max. Sin is charging an attack," stated Nooj in the com-link. "Wouldn't it be best to-"

He didn't finish his sentence as Max laughed maniacally and screamed out, "FIRE!"

Vegnagun let a sound in confirmation before firing its charged energy cannon.

Sin, noticing the incoming attack, quickly stopped charging its attack and fired it right at the beam. The two attack collided against each other, neither giving ground.

"Cmon! Don't let that thing beat you!" said Max.

Soon, the energy ball lost out to the beam and dissipated, while the beam headed straight for Sin. However, Sin threw up a barrier, the same one as it did back in Operation Mi'ihen. The beam clashed with the shield, slowly but surely making a dent into it. However, just as before, Sin was already forming an attack with the dent. Soon, the barrier broke, but a wave of energy came rushing towards Vegnagun.

"Oh no!" shouted Rikku. She nearly ran off the ship, hoping to magically reach Max in time.

Max, however, grinned as he pressed another button. Two items shot off from Vegnagun's side, and a huge blue-light shield formed in front of Vegnagun, just like at Mushroom Rock. The shield held off the brunt of the attack, but it was clear that Sin had been holding back its power in Operation Mi'ihen. The shield broke before the protocol to deflect that attack could activate.

"Oh CRAP!" shouted Max as he ducked for cover. With a large explosion, Vegnagun took the hit.

"No.. NOO!" shouted Rikku, collapsing down onto the floor, tears in her eyes.

"Max!" shouted Tidus into a com-link Max had given him earlier, "Max! Respond! Respond dammit Max!"

Soon, a coughing noise filled the com-link.

"Cough, I'm, cough, okay," replied Max. Tidus quickly told Rikku the news. As the dust slowly came down, they could clearly see Vegnagun still there. However, It looked heavily damaged. It's limbs had be torn off, the tail heavily bruised. Sparks could be seen all over the body. The cannon looked like it was still functioning. Sin, however, didn't seem fine either. It had massive gashes all over its body.

"Tidus, Vegnagun isn't going to fire another shot for a bit. I'm trying to fix it right now, but you'll have to distract it," said Max before diving in to fix whatever he could.

"All right, you heard him!" said Cid, his voice booming in the loudspeakers. "I saw somethin' shine on the base of Sin's arm! I reckon its a weak spot!"

"Then let's go!" shouted Tidus. The airship flew towards Sin. As they approached Sin, they suddenly felt themselves being dragged close to Sin. They didn't panic, as they wanted this to happen. Soon, they saw a pulsing flower-like bulb on Sin. Since nobody had actually been this close to Sin, they figured not many had a chance to even look for a weak spot. They attacked it as fast as they could. The bulb kept retaliating, but soon, the light began to dim from it.

"All right! Hold on tight, cuz we're using our big one!" shouted Cid as Brother steered the airship as far away as possible. From the bottom of the airship, the flaps revealed themselves, and soon, two large yellow spears appeared. They gathered electrical energy similar to ancient machina in Operation Mi'ihen. A huge bolt of lightning came forth and hit the bulb with a resounding bang. After the dust cleared, the find of Sin could clearly be seen falling off from it.

"All right! Swinging over to the next one!" said Cid.

Repeating the same steps, they managed to shoot off the other arm. However, Sin was still floating in mid-air.

"Fire again!" shouted Cid. This time, Brother aimed it at the head. It was a clean hit, but Sin was still floating.

"Again!" shouted Cid.

However, when Brother clicked the fire, he saw that it wasn't working. Rapidly pressing it, he paled.

" _ **Dra syeh kih! Ed'c pnugah!"**_ said Brother.

"Whatt! How is it broken! We followed what Max said to do! He said we'd be good for at least 4 shots, 5 at maximum!" complained Cid.

He was still thankful that with his expertise they got three shots in. If they did it themselves, they would've been lucky to fire even two shots. At the side, one of the lead mechanics for repairing the ship paled. Cid noticed it and interrogated him. He then proceeded to beat the living crap of the said mechanic when he admitted he didn't follow everything, saying that he thought he had better ideas and disagreed that a young male who claimed to be from Zanarkand with machina knowledge was better than him.

Sin suddenly transformed, threatened by all this attack. It grew out wings, allowing it to hover. It began charging another attack. Everyone could feel that this one was much stronger than its usual attack, and it seemed to be completely focusing on completing it. Cid paled and ordered all rockets, missiles, anything they could use to fire on Sin. They impacted, but did nothing to dissuade it.

Then, he heard his com-link ringing. Quickly answering it, he heard what Max wanted him to do. Quickly hitting the speaker, he told Tidus and the rest of them to hold on.

They complied immediately, and the airship flew as far away from Sin.

* * *

Back in Bevelle, Vegnagun had finally charged up another shot.

"Let's do this!" shouted Max. Vegnagun fired right at Sin's head. Sin made another barrier to protect itself. It held for a few seconds before the beam broke right through it, impacting Sin. When the explosion and dust cleared, Sin was still channeling its attack, but was heavily damaged.

"Crap! I don't have anything else!" shouted Max. He was frantically typing in commands, looking for anything to use.

"Get me closer!" shouted Yuna. Cid complied and Yuna began to summon her first aeon, Valefor. Valefor appeared, it's overdrive ready. However, instead firing an energy beam as usual, it did a back flip. It then swirled it's mane on the back of its head in a circular motion. The air began to distort as a glyph suddenly appeared in front of Valefor. Channeling all it's energy, into the glyph, it suddenly shot at multiple beams of energy blasts right into Sin.

The final bulb on Sin's forehead was instantly destroyed from the last attack, and it began to sink towards Bevelle.

"That's not good," said Paine. Everyone paled on what would happen if Sin crashed into Bevelle. Thousands would die from the crash alone, and they weren't even sure if Sin was dead.

"Cmonn! Work!" shouted Max desperately, "You don't want to lose like this!" He was desperately trying to find any source of power for it to do something. Suddenly, Vegnagun transformed back to its moth mode, without the cannon. It made another loud noise, as if a roar. It suddenly leaped into the air, using it's last energy to fly directly into Sin, planning to use its weight to collide at Sin and deter it from crashing into Bevelle.

"Hehehe. Guess we'll be going together," said Max putting his hand on the command board. However, Vegnagun had other plans. It ejected Max off the seat, high into the air.

"WHOAAAA!" shouted Max as he found himself in the air. Luckily, he had managed to create a jet pack out of the spare materials he had after using most of it for Vegnagun.

If the people could see in Vegnagun's mechanical eye, they could see the determination to fight against Sin, to at least damage it one more time. With a loud noise, Vegnagun crashed against Sin. Upon impact, it activated its self-destruct sequence, causing a huge explosion. It managed to push Sin right into the Calm Lands.

Rikku almost had a panic attack when she saw Vegnagun explode, but when Kimahri silently tapped her shoulder and pointed to the sky, she saw Max flying towards them with his jetpack. Barely landing on the ship, Max found himself in a death hug from Rikku. She had jumped right onto his torso with both arms and legs firmly wrapped around him.

"Don't make me worry like that! You're the first boyfriend that I've had, and I don't want it to end so soon! Especially since we didn't even go out on a proper date like Yuna and Tidus did last week," complained Rikku.

"Sorry!" apologized Max, desperately trying to get air into his body. Rikku was crushing his ribs that he started to turn blue. It was only after Yuna prodded her to let go did Max finally get some air. Max lightly kissed her on the lips before promising to make it up to her soon. Rikku pouted and said that it would take some heavy pampering to make up for it. While everyone was trying to take a quick breather, Yuna looked out to where Sin had crashed. Tidus walked up next to her, hugging her.

"I wonder if Sir Jecht is in pain," she said sadly. It was her boyfriend's father they were beating up right now.  
"Let's just end this…quickly. The fayth said they would help us, right?" replied Tidus.  
"It bothers me, the way they said that," murmured Yuna, "I mean, they've been fighting alongside us this whole time, but now they say they'll help?"  
Tidus shrugged at this. He wasn't too sure how it worked either.  
Yuna suddenly had a revelation, "Wait! Sin is reborn when Yu Yevon merges with an aeon, isn't that right? If I summon an aeon, Yu Yevon will join with it. But at first, it'll be small, won't it?"  
"Yeah… Then, we might be able to beat it without the Final Summoning," replied Tidus. It did make sense. If it was just the norma aeons, then they stood a chance of defeating that a lot more easier than a Final Summoning.

Yuna bought out doubts that Yu Yevon might jump again, but Tidus put it to rest, telling her that they would just hunt it down until it couldn't run anymore. Then, Spira would be rid of Sin, and the fayth would finally be able to rest. Suddenly, Yuna brought out another point  
"The fayth said it's pointless to keep dreaming. The dream will disappear, he said. What did he mean? And what is it that Yu Yevon is summoning from within Sin?"  
"The dream of the fayth," replied Tidus. As the looked out into the dust where Sin was, Yuna cuddled even closer to Tidus. Looking at him straight in the eye, she asked a question that Tidus wouldn't have been able to dodge at all.  
"You won't…go away, will you?" Yuna asked.

Luckily, he dodged the bullet when Rikku interrupted them, telling them to look at Sin. The dust had cleared, and Sin looked like it was on it's last legs. However, it opened its mouth, and a portal seemed to appear within it. However, it remained completely still, as if asleep.

"Looks like its the final showdown," commented Max. Everyone nodded as they check their items again. They quickly purchased a few items from Rin just in case. They were a bit outraged that Rin was selling them items when they were trying to save the world, but he just merely stated he had confidence in them, and that all the gils would be going to help the Al Bhed find a new Home. Unable to argue against that, they paid for it. Soon, Cid drove the ship forward into the portal.

* * *

 **Andd another chapter done! We're almost finished! Read and Review Please. Also, no lemon scene :) If I did that, this would be rated M then.**


	42. Chapter 41 Into Sin We GO!

**Disclaimer: Don't own FFX**

 **95 Fav and 101 Follows! Yaa. Passed the 100 mark for this story. Read and Review, please!**

 **This is 1 of 2 chapters being released. That's right, it's a double release!**

* * *

They entered through the portal and arrived at what seemed to be a sky with endless clouds below them. Countless pyreflies floated past them as they continued forward. Admiring the beauty of this scene, they didn't notice until they heard a familiar laughter. The view grew red for a bit, blinding them before it calmed down again. Soon, Cid finally found somewhere for them to land.

"Dad! Where are you?" yelled out Tidus.  
"We must go to him," replied Auron.  
"Then we will! Let me take front!" commanded Tidus. Nobody disagreed with this. However, before they got off the ship, Max and Tidus held their girlfriends back a for a bit.

"We have presents for you, as good luck and thanks," said Tidus, withdrawing a box from his pocket. He opened it to show a beautifully crafted silver necklace with the Abes logo on it.

"I commissioned Max to make it, but I was the one who told him what to put in it," said Tidus softly as Yuna gasped at the present. "May I?"

Yuna numbly nodded as Tidus slowly put the necklace on her neck. She took off the other necklace that she had received as a gift from Besaid village.

"It's a matching pair set," explained Tidus, "The necklace has a tracker that responds to my necklace. If we somehow get separated, all you need to do is put your hand on your necklace. It'll vibrate the closer you are to me, leading you back to my arms. The same works for me."

Yuna could barely hold her tears back and gave him a passionate kiss.

Rikku was looking at them with envy before turning to Max. "What did you get me?" she demanded.

"Trust me, you'll like it. Just close your eyes and hold out your left hand," grinned Max.

She obeyed, but tried to peek, earning her a quick flick on her forehead. Pouting, she closed her eyes. She felt the glove that extended up to her forearm being taken off. Before she could ask, she felt a cool metallic item being clasped onto her forearm and another glove being put on her hands.

"Go ahead an open them," whispered Max.

She did and saw that her left forearm had an orange metal protector and her left hand with a new glove. Before she could ask what it was, Max gently took her right hand and had her press a button she didn't notice near the end of the forearm guard, near her elbows. She gasped when she saw what popped out. It was an arm computer, the same model as his own. Complete with instructions manual, how to fix it, and how to take care of it.

"I hope this-" Max never finished his sentence. Rikku had jumped on him again, this time giving him a passionate kiss. She even slipped her tongue inside, showing just how happy she was with the gift. Max closed his eyes to enjoy the kiss.

Both couples were enjoying their kiss until Cid showed up and kicked them off the ship, saying they weren't allowed to make out on his ship during a crisis. Embarrassed, they quickly left to join the others.

* * *

The fiends inside Sin were much stronger than the ones they fought before. They could barely afford to save up their Overdrives, as they had in more than once had to use it to save their own butts. Wakka used his Overdrive on a Behemoth King, using his latest one, _Aurochs Reels_. He channeled the Overdrive energy into his ball, causing it to spark with energy, Tossing it high into the air, he jumped up and spiked it right down into the fiend's face. However, even with such an attaack, it wasn't defeated. Lulu followed up immediately by casting her newest spell she had learned, _Flare_.

"Whew. These fiends are tough," said Wakka as the fiend finally dispersed.

"Don't let your guard down," scolded Lulu. Wakka grinned before patting her on the shoulder, "No worries. I'll watch your back."

This caused Lulu to blush slightly before slamming a fist into his chest. He was left coughing for a bit before he regained his breath. Soon, they found themselves looking at some stairs leading up to a platform. In front of them was four huge circles with four elemental signs in each of them. Standing in front of them was once again, Seymour, cackling evilly.

"Don't you ever go up?" groaned Tidus.

"Sin has chosen me," cackled Seymour, " I am part of Sin. I am one with Sin, forever. Immortal!"  
"Sin just absorbed you," deadpanned Tidus.  
"I will learn to control it, from within. I have all the time in the world. Since you were gracious enough to dispose of Yunalesca…the only means of destroying Sin is forever gone. Now nothing can stop-" laughed out Seymour when he was suddenly interrupted with a bullet to his head. Shaking off the damage, he saw Max had drawn out his weapon.

"I am just tired of SEEING YOUR DAM FACE!" roared out Max. He unleashed his Overdrive, not even letting Seymour try to transform.

He tossed his two guns, Rebellion and Discord up in the air for a bit. Suddenly, he grabbed out two more guns from his pockets. Using all four guns in a blur, he shot all his bullets right at Seymour's chest. Not stopping for a second, he grabbed his two original guns and quickly transformed it his bow. Grabbing 8 arrows at once, he charged forward, closing the gap between them. Seymour tried to swipe him away, but Max ducked and unleashed all 8 arrows at once at the chest again. Each two arrows was enchanted with the highest tier black magic, _Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga,_ and _Waterga_. After the arrows landed, he kicked Seymour away from him. This time, his bow transformed one more time into half of the front of the rifle. His other two guns transformed into the back half, and he connected the two. With Seymour still in his sights, he pulled the trigger. A ball of pure energy came flying out, smacking Seymour once again in the chest.

"You! YOU INSOLENT WHELP!" shouted Seymour as the dust cleared, showing him to still be alive but heavily damaged. He quickly transformed, but the damage had already been done. Before he could do anything, he saw Yuna had already began to summon. Seymour originally scoffed, thinking he could take care of it when he saw a chain coming down from the skies.

"You would oppose me as well? So be it!" said Seymour in anger.

Yuna had summoned Anima, his own mother and aeon, to fight him.

"Your own mother was sad to see you turn out like this," said Yuna calmly, "It is only fitting that she deals out the punishment."

Suddenly, a pool of darkness spawned beneath Seymour. Surprised, he was unable to prevent himself from sinking in. After sinking in, he saw what was underneath Anima. Instead of legs, it was another half of a body, facing the other way. The body suddenly started to move, as if it was waking up. It arched its back, facing Seymour, with its long white hair and horrifying face without eyes. It's sharp teeth with a long hooked canines threatened Seymour. It's hand was tightly bound by chains until the aeon decided to break out of it.

Seymour paled. He knew this Overdrive. He had done it to other people many times before.

Anima's fist started to glow before it landed a huge right hook. It followed up with a left jab, then right straight, and then a barrage of punches. Disoriented, Anima then unleashed a ball of energy right into Seymour. After the explosion, Seymour found himself back on the ground, with the aftermath of the Overdrive still visible. He looked up to see Anima, his own mother, looking down with sadness in her eyes before being dismissed.

Seeing Seymour weakened, Kimahri finished him off with a kick to his face. Making sure he was defeated, Paine decided to try out her new weapon and aimed it at Seymour. Slightly unprepared for the recoil, the shot went right into his face while Paine flew back a little. Lying on the floor, unable to move, it was needless to say this was the easiest fight they had against him. Yuna started to send him immediately to the Farplane.

"So it is you, after all, who will send me. But even after I am gone, Spira's sorrow will prevail," whispered Seymour as he dissolved into pyreflies, finally banished to the Farplane.  
"Sin will be right behind you," said Tidus.

* * *

Everyone decided it was a good idea to rest up for an hour, eat and drink. After resting, they finally went forward and up some stairs. They found themselves in what seemed to be a city with nobody living in it. The party navigated through the complicated city, fighting even more fiends that came from the city. They came across a door, with a sign saying that there were ten fiends still seeking eternal repose. They managed to take out five of them, individually. Suddenly, they were attacked by five of them all together. Max cursed out loud while Kimahri grimaced. Each one had been hard to take out. Four of them at once meant that they could easily die.

"Hmph. Looks like we're in trouble, uncle," said Paine as she readied her blade.

"Think you can keep up?" asked Auron as he readied his.

"You should be worried about yourself, old man," replied Paine.

Both of them activated their Overdrives. However, instead of going at it individually, their energies merged together.

"Everyone get down and move out of the way!" shouted Auron. Everyone quickly complied as Paine and Auron had their backs to each other before finally activating their merged Overdrive, titled _Bushido_.

Both of them spun, slashing everything around them. The four fiends were stunned, allowing everybody else to move. They turned back to see Paine and Auron still there. Before they could tell them to also get out of there, the two moved as one. When Auron slashed, Paine was right behind him to follow up, leaving now gaps in between their attacks. Auron leaped into the air and slammed his blade into a fiend. Upon impact, it exploded, hitting two other fiends. Another fiend tried to attack him, only to be met with Paine's blade. After 3 seconds of rapidly slashing, the two of them clashed their blades together, the hand-guards meeting each other.

"Your pain shall be two-fold!" said Auron.

Together, they spun their blades rapidly before jumping back. A tornado was instantly formed, sucking up all the fiends into it. Auron took a sip of his sake jug, before offering Paine a drink. She took a sip before tossing it into the tornado, causing it to explode. The fiends all came tumbling back down, dead.

"Whoahohoh," said Wakka. Everybody else besides Kimahri were slightly shocked.

"Let's go," said Auron, walking past them without a care. Paine followed him, leaving them still shocked until they quickly realized they needed to catch up.

Aurona and Paine had to use an elixir each after using such a devastating attack. It had exhausted them, but they showed no signs of it and pushed on. With the ten fiends dead, the door opened. They walked in, and the space warped around them once more into a patch of greenish-blue land. They had to dodge icicles while collected some eggs to proceed through. Finally, the space warped around them one more time. They found themselves on a platform.

Tidus and Max instantly recognized the place. It was the same place they saw in their dreams before they came to Spira. The wrecked stands were still there, and the giant Abes logo made from rocks stood up in the air. In the distance was the Zanarkand that they remembered and loved. At the center was a tall, tan, buff man. His back was facing them, but it was obvious who he was. With his red bandanna, lack of shirt, and shorts still the same as he wore them 10 years ago, this was the man who became Sin. The man who was from their Zanarkand. A man who was a guardian of High Summoner Braska. The man who was Tidus's father, Jecht.

* * *

 **It's a bit shorter than usual, but I figured this would be a good stopping point. So, did you guys like my idea of dual Overdrive?**

 **Max's last Overdrive is Everything Goes! Shoots out anything within his arsenal.**


	43. Chapter 42 Fighting Jecht!

**This is the 2 of 2 chapters being released today. It's a double release, so be sure to read chapter 41 as well!**

* * *

"You're late, Auron," said Jecht.  
"I know," replied Auron.  
Jecht finally turned around to greet them. He saw Tidus and grinned, "Hah! You got tall, but you're all bones! You eating right, boy?"

Tidus remained silent at this. Here was his father. The man who disappeared from his life ten years ago. Who left him alone when his mother died. He couldn't find anything to really say.  
"You've really grown," Jecht said softly.  
"Yeah, but you're still bigger," replied Tidus.  
"Well, I am Sin, you know," Jecht chuckled in reply.

"And all it took was a stupid ritual to do so," added Max. Both Jecht and Tidus chuckled appreciatively at this. Jecht looked at Max and noticed him carrying machina as well as having the Zanarkand Abes logo on his shirt.

"Who are you?" asked Jecht.

"The names Max. I'm Tidus's best friend, a machina expert as well as strategist for the Zanarkand Abes," was the reply.

Jecht seemed quite surprised to see another person from the dream until he remembered he had pulled three people instead of two into this world. Before he could contemplate it more, he felt his control waning.

"Sorry, Don't have much time anymore. Let's end this," said Jecht. Everyone nodded as they pulled out their weapons.  
"Dad?" said Tidus softly, "I hate you."  
Jecht chuckled at this, knowing fully well why, "I know, I know. You know what you have to do. I can't hear the Hymn so well anymore. Pretty soon, I'm gonna be Sin. Completely. I'm glad you're here now. One thing, though… When it starts, I won't be myself anymore. I won't be able to hold myself back. I'm sorry."  
"That's enough. Let's finish this, okay?" said Tidus, gripping his sword.

Jecht nodded before his hands started to shine brightly. Soon, the ball of light was at his chest. Jecht staggered backwards towards the edge of the cliff before falling. Tidus wanted to grab him, as if having second thoughts, but a pat on his shoulders from Yuna and Max reminded him why he was here. To help free his father.

* * *

Soon, a giant aeon came from the depths of the light. This was Braska's final aeon, the aeon that Yu Yevon had possessed. The Aeon that was Jecht. Even when transformed, they could easily see that it was Jecht. His red bandanna was still on his forehead, and a giant Abes logo was still tattooed onto his chest. The aeon had a humanoid figure, but its skin was brown with claws for his left hand. The armor that Jecht usually wore had transformed with it. It seemed the Final Summon kept all physical characteristics of the one who was to become it.  
Tidus could only stare up into his eyes before brandishing his sword, swearing, "I promise this'll be quick! Hit me with all you got, Dad! I won't lose! _"_ He cast _Hastega_ on his party, ready for battle.

His voice seemed to reach Jecht for a little as the aeon nodded in reply before attacking.

It was a harsh battle. The two rock pagoda's behind Jecht seemed to always heal him and purge him of any status effects, as well as empowering Jecht. They had to deal more damage than it was healing. Not to mention Jecht would grab one of them, gripping them tightly, causing a few internal injuries before slamming them down into the floor again. Yuna had her hands full, just trying to heal them all. Rikku was relegated to healing with her potions just to keep them alive.

Max dodged a palm strike from Jecht, shooting him at the eyes. He retaliated with an eye beam that caught Max off guard and sent blasting backwards. Wakka threw a ball at him to him. The ball exploded on impact at his eye, causing Jecht a brief moment of pain before backhanding Wakka away. Lulu was casting spells as fast as she could when she had an idea.

"Target those two pagodas at the same time!" Lulu yelled.

Everyone who had something to use as a range weapon nodded. Lulu casted her spell, Wakka thew his ball, and Paine shot her gunblade at the left one. Max used a magic arrow, Tidus used his buckler handcannon, and Rikku threw a grenade on the right one. The pagodas stopped moving, and didn't heal Jecht or empower him.

"That's my girl!" shouted Wakka. Too distracted to even correct him, Lulu let it slide. They focused all their attention back on Jecht, who Kimahri and Auron had been distracting him. Unfortunately, it was only temporary. After a minute, the pagodas started moving again, healing Jecht again. Suddenly, Jecht started to glow orange.

"That can't be good," said Wakka.

"It's an overdrive! Defend yourselves," shouted Kimahri.

Yuna made her decision.

"Everyone, stand back! I'll summon!"

Quickly backing off, Yuna used her Overdrive for a Grand Summon. She chose the Magus Sisters, who she had never tried out yet. Belgemine had told her that this summon was very strong, but also very finicky, and hoped it would be enough.

The four summoning lights came forth. As Yuna summoned, a small gentle gale came by her and the stage was filled with mist. Three different colored lights came from the heavens, floating about like a bug. Soon the descended around Yuna, circling around her as she drew her staff close to her body, as if praying. The red light landed behind her, the blue light to her right, and the yellow light to her left. Each one of the light had a seed with a small bulb on top. As soon as they landed, they bloomed into different types of flowers. Yuna raised her staff as it began to shine at the stop. Swirling her staff around, it passed by each flower. With a puff of smoke and petals, out came three humanoid aeons dressed as bugs from each flower. The red one was dressed as a dragonfly, the yellow one as a bee, and the blue one as a fat ladybug. Their respective names were Sandy, Mindy, and Cindy

Max couldn't help but raise his eyebrow at this summon. True, it was unique as three aeons came out instead of one, but their style was... interesting to say the least. None the less, he trusted Yuna knew what she was dong. Thanks to Yuna summoning, Jecht was now focused on the summons, allowing them some time to heal.

"Do as you will!" said Yuna. The trio nodded before attacking with extreme coordination. Jecht seemed to be bothered by this as he kept trying to keep the fat one from sitting on his head. However, every now and then, Cindy seemed to tire easily as she would just sit to regain her breath.

"Combine your powers!" yelled Yuna. They all nodded as they used their Overdrive, _Delta_ _Attack_. In short, it was devastating. Cindy jumped up into the air before impacting into the ground, warping space around Jecht and his two papogodas. Then, in a triangle formation, all three of them channeled their magic, trapping him in a pyramidal prsim. They then rose up to the air, with Cindy lagging slightly behind. After they were about 10 feet above Jecht, Mindy casted a barrier around all three while Sandy channeled black magic before tossing it into the sky. It came back down in three colors, each landing on each summon. Between the three of them in a triangle formation, energy started to resonate, and a bright light covered them all. A huge amount of energy in a form of a triangle formed until soon, it merged to make a circle. Several glyphs suddenly appeared below it, and it shot out a laser blast right at Jecht. It hit the triangle, causing it to shine. Suddenly, the inside of the triangle exploded six times. The trio landed right in front of Yuna, clearly exhausted from the attack.

* * *

Suddenly, the Abes Logo in the background caught on fire. As the dust cleared, Jecht struck. With his right hand, he wielded a huge sword, the same sword he used during his years as a guardian. He swung, getting them all with a hit. As they were disoriented, Jecht threw a punch with his left hand at Mindy. Unable to defend, Mindy dissolved into pyreflies. Sandy jumped to attack, but a beam caught her in the jump, sending her backwards. Cindy tackled Jecht, but he caught her with his left hand. He clenched his hand tightly, slowly crushing her before slamming her back down into the ground. Cindy weakly tried to get up, but Jecht used his sword and chopped her in half, forcing her to dissolve. Then, with a clench of his fist, the air distorted around Sandy before an invisible shockwave hit her, forcing her to also disappear.

When the aeons disappeared, the party was still together. They were about to attack when they noticed Jecht was still glowing orange. As if mocking them, Jecht used his overdrive, _Ultimate Jecht Shot_. With a wave of his hand, a meteorite appeared above him. Grabbing it, he threw down right towards them. Kimahri quickly cast _Mighty Guard_ while everyone tried to hid behind their weapons to minimize damage. Max threw out his barrier and booster at once to try to block it. The blue-light shield appeared, halting the meteorite from impacting. However, it was slowly cracking.

"Destroy that meteor!" shouted Paine as she shifted her blade to gun mode. Everyone nodded and kept firing at the meteor. Luckily, Max had managed to make it a one-way barrier, which meant it only blocked one side and not the other, allowing them to safely shoot from behind the barrier. Chunks of the meteor seem to fly off. The barrier also gave time for Rikku to mix up some items. She soon made _Hyper Vitality_ and _Miracle Drink_ from mixing a Stamina Tonic with potion, and Ether with a Luck Sphere. The items gave the party a huge boost, but they knew it was temporary. She had warned them that the after-effects would tire them completely, as they were operating past their normal limits that the human body imposed on itself.

The barrier broke, but most of the meteor had been destroyed. After impact, all of them were still alive, conscious, and mostly standing. Yuna immediately began to heal them all. Suddenly, Jecht swung his sword horizontally from the right, intending to sweep them all off or chop them in half. Paine, Kimahri, and Auron met the blade with their own weapon. The blade was halted, but all three of them were struggling. They began to lose ground as the sword began moving again.

"You won't beat me this time!" shouted Tidus as he channeled his overdrive energy. Jecht seemed to hear this as Auron, Paine, and Kimahri were able to halt his blade as they felt him slightly relax. Using this moment, all three of them exerted as much energy and pushed the blade away, leaving Jecht open.

"Max! Let's do this!" shouted Tidus. Max nodded as he felt his Overdrive energy ready. Both of them felt their energy combine to perform one united Overdrive technique.

 _Zanarkand Abes BLITZ!_

Time seemed to slow for both of them. Max suddenly shot all his explosive bullets into Jecht's chest, making him roar in pain. While that happened, Tidus was already charging towards him. Tidus got close and started hacking and slashing as fast as he could. Max converted his gun into a bow and shot as many steel arrows into the air. After Tidus was done with his 8th slash, he ran forward and used Jecht's chest as a wall to kick off back into the air. Suddenly, the sky above Jecht rained arrows, causing him to block it with his sword, but not before taking several arrows at once already. Max once again had his bow transform back to pistols before gathering energy to form a huge energy ball. However, instead of shooting it at Jecht, he shot it upwards towards Tidus. With the remaining Overdrive energy left, Tidus kicked the energy ball back down right at Jecht's face.

Tidus landed on his feet as everyone waited with baited breath to see what would happen next. The dust settled, and Jecht was still standing. However, before he could do anything, he collapsed, sword stuck onto the platform. His aeon form dispersed, and he was back to his human form, standing in front of them but heavily injured. When the aeon disappeared, a floating black blob appeared, hovering and flying all around them. This was Yu Yevon's true form. It looked like a black parasite.

* * *

Tidus quickly ran up to Jecht just as he collapsed, falling into his body. Tidus then slowly laid Jecht down to the floor. Jecht weakly looked up as he felt something wet land on his cheeks.  
"You'll cry. You're gonna cry. You always cry. See? You're cryin'," teased Jecht weakly.

It was true. Tidus wasn't holding back and letting his tears stream out. It was painful to watch, as Yuna slowly sat next to him.  
"I hate you, Dad," sobbed out Tidus.

"Save it for later," lectured Jecht. Tidus nodded as he slowly stood up again, with Yuna next to him.  
"Good. That's right. You are my son, after all," smiled Jecht.  
"You know…," said Tidus quietly, "for the first time, I'm glad…to have you as my father."

Jecht laughed before directing his gaze at Yuna.

"Heh, should've known Braska's own daughter would be here, too." said Jecht, "It's fitting. I killed Braska when he summoned me. And his daughter is the one to finally end my suffering. Tidus is your guardian?"

Yuna nodded before adding, "he's also my boyfriend."

Jecht looked in shock before laughing and coughing at this news. His own eyes were streaming tears at this, "Oooh that's funny. I used to joke with Braska, sayin that my son should hitch with his daughter, that you would be able to take care of him. I can't believe it came true."

Yu Yevon soon started buzzing around again, impatiently.

"There's no time, Yuna," said Jecht softly, "You know what you have to do."

The Fayth of Bahamut suddenly appeared before them, saying, "Summon us, Yuna!"

Yuna nodded in confirmation with confidence. Seeing her face, Jecht knew it would be all right.

"Take care, Yuna, Tidus," said Jecht before he dissolved into pyreflies.  
"Here it comes!" warned Lulu.

Yu Yevon, the parasite, landed on Jecht's sword that was still on the platform. Reality around began to distort, and soon, a flash of white light came upon them. When they all woke up, they saw they were now standing on top of Jecht's chained sword, the size increased so they could all stand on it. The sword itself was floating over an abyss.

"Why is the ground gone!?' moaned Max as everyone got ready to fight their last battles.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter! We're nearing the end!**


	44. Chapter 43 Let's Finish this!

**Yaaa! Here I GO!**

* * *

"Yuna!" yelled Tidus.

Yuna nodded before she summoned the Magus Sisters first. As they descended, Yu Yevon possessed them. Their skin tones all turned dark when they were possessed. Luckily, they were still weak from the fight against Jecht, so they were easily defeated. As the aeon dispersed, Yu Yevon would fly away, trying to posses the next aeon. Anima came next. Yuna went down the list of aeons she received, newest to oldest, in that order. Each time the aeon was summoned, Yu Yevon possessed the said aeon. The aeon's skins would change color, but each time Yuna and her guardians fought and won. Soon, Valefor was left.

"Let us handle this one," said Wakka as he and Lulu stepped forward. Their overdrive energies merged together, similar to Auron with Paine, and Tidus with Max.

Overdrive: _In memory of Chappu_

Lulu channeled all her magic into Wakka's ball. She cast the strongest magic, _Ultima_ _._

"Know pain... But not for long," said Lulu, reminding them she was quite sadistic.

Wakka jumped up into the air, his throwing arm extending as far back as he could. This throw was quite similar to the one he once threw back in the blitzball game against the Luca Goers. All his emotions, his energy, was channeled into his ball, along with Lulu's magic. He threw it right at Valefor. Upon impact, it blew up, leaving a crater in the ground. With the last of the aeons gone, Yu Yevon had nowhere to run anymore.

Tidus looked at Max, silently communicating with him. Max sighed and nodded, knowing there was no way to avoid this subject and should be brought sooner than at the last minute.  
"Everyone! This is the last time we fight together, okay?" announced Tidus. Everyone snapped their attention to him, even Auron.  
"What I'm trying to say is…after we beat Yu Yevon, Max and I will disappear!" said Tidus.  
"What are you talking about?" said Lulu, completely confused. Auron looked shocked, as he hadn't thought about this or didn't think that they would also disappear when Yevon was gone.  
Yuna and Rikku gave their boyfriend a desperate look, hoping they were just joking. The look on their faces showed they weren't. Then, they realized the gifts that they had received were actually goodbye gifts!  
"We're saying goodbye soon!" said Max.  
"Now, of all times!?' shouted Paine  
"I know it's selfish…," said Tidus,

"but this is our story!" finished Max. Both of them charged forward at Yu Yevon, intending to end the cycle. Max had switched his guns into escrima sticks, as he had absolutely no bullets left. His blaster ammo had been used up, and he was out of arrows. Leaving him only to use his sticks to fight. Seeing them eager to finish Yu Yevon, the rest of the joined. Yuna and Rikku, however, could not put their worries aside.

Soon, Yu Yevon, under a barrage of spells and attacks, finally collapsed. The two pagodas that had beside it rose up into the air with Yu Yevon in between. They closed up to become one again, squishing Yu Yevon in the middle. In a bright flash of light, they heard Yu Yevon scream once more before becoming silent.

* * *

Temples all around Spira started to become silent. The Hymn of the Fayth that the fayth would sing halted as the statues themselves stopped glowing and turned into pure stone.

* * *

Back in Sin, they had been teleported back to the platform where they had fought Jecht. Yuna started to perform the sending from within. She stopped when she noticed pyreflies rising from Auron.  
"Don't stop," said Auron.  
"But I…," stuttered Yuna.  
"It's all right," said Auron, "My purpose is done now. I stayed only to make sure I fulfilled my promises."

Wakka, Lulu, and Rikku looked at the others and noticed that they weren't surprised. All of them already knew Auron was dead. It was surprising to them that Kimahri knew, though.

Auron walked forward, stopping to gaze at each person, remembering all the times he spent with them. As he walked next to Kimahri, he put his fist up to him and thumped his chest. "It's been long enough. Thanks for taking care of Yuna for me,"

He continued to walk and stopped next to Paine. Grabbing his new sword, he held it out. "I know you already have a sword from Max, but I want you to have this. Just in case."

Paine nodded and sheathed her sword at her waist. She then took Auron's sword and sheathed this one on her back.

Auron took a moment to gaze at Tidus and Max for a few seconds before grinning. He kept walking forward, past Yuna. Finally, he turned around, grabbing his old sword that nobody had any idea where he had been hiding it. Lifting the sword to rest on his shoulders, he looked at them.  
"This is your world now. Just remember, Hope never dies"

Auron dissolved into pyreflies.

The rest of them managed to get back on the airship and onto the platform, where it flew out of Sin's mouth. Soon, all the aeons suddenly appeared before them, surrounding the airship. Sin was also floating right next to the airship. Suddenly, it let out a bright flash that forced everyone on the ground watching the skies to cover their eyes. The airship was floating above a golden sea of clouds as Yuna started to dance and perform the sending.

Each aeon began to disappear into pyreflies, their jobs done. They would finally be able to stop dreaming. Sin was the last one to dissolve into millions of pyreflies.

All around Spira, people began to cheer for the death of Sin. Sin was no more! Summoner Yuna and her party, containing 'True path Tidus,' and 'Defender Max', dubbed by most Crusaders now, had found another way to defeat Sin!

* * *

In the cave of Mt. Gagazet, near Zanarkand, the people within the wall stopped producing energy. They all slowly turned into stone. Each one of those people had been a summoner from Zanarkand. Now that Sin was gone, they no longer needed to summon Dream Zanarkand anymore.

The water pillar that rose to the heavens started to collapse. Soon, a huge ball of water remained floating before it broke up into tiny droplets, evaporating. Inside two of the droplets contained the image of Tidus and Max.

As everyone on the ship was admiring the sight of Sin being defeated, Yuna and Rikku had their sights on their boyfriends. They hoped that it wasn't true, that it was a joke. That it wasn't going to end the way they thought it would. Sadly, they were wrong.

Max and Tidus could feel themselves starting to fade. They looked at their hands to see it flickering, as if unable to sustain the body anymore.

Yuna and Rikku shook their heads, "No…"

Wakka hadn't noticed and put his hand on Tidus's shoulder, "Hey.. we needa talk about that speech of yours. That wasn't funny. Not funny at all."

Lulu agreed as she put her hand on Max's shoulder. Both of them could still feel Max and Tidus, so they thought they were lying.

"I'm not going to have my first student lie like that now," said Lulu.

Cid had joined them on the platform to enjoy the view of Sin's defeat. He had heard the native Zanarkand's speech from Paine.

"Gehehe! I'm not letting you boys go now. Not since you helped save my daughter and niece. Also, you're the only ones I'd even begin to approve dating my girls. Although I still reserve judgment for anything further. Plus, I need you, Max, to begin teaching me everything you know!" said Cid.

Suddenly, Wakka and Lulu's hands went right through them as Max and Tidus's bodies flickered once more.

"They weren't lying..." said Paine, her eyes opened wide.  
"Yuna, I have to go. I'm sorry I couldn't show you Zanarkand," apologized Tidus.

"Sorry Rikku, for ending it like this," apologized Max, "It's time for us to go."

Both girlfriends shook their heads in denial.

Tidus and Max started walking forward towards the front edge of the ship.

"Hey!" shouted Wakka. They kept walking forward.

Suddenly, Yuna and Rikku ran after their boyfriends, intent on trying to make them stay. Hoping that magic or will would reinforce them here.

"Yuna!" shouted Kimahri.

"Rikku!" shouted Cid.

Tidus and Max turned around to see their girlfriends, arms open wide. They tried to receive them, but their bodies flickered again. Rikku and Yuna ended up going right through them and collapsing onto the floor.

Everybody on the platform gasped at this. Max and Tidus could only raise their heads, closing their eyes as tears slightly streamed down their cheeks. Their bodies began to be easily transparent as pyreflies started to arise from their bodies.

Grabbing what courage they had left, Yuna and Rikku stood up. Their backs facing their boyfriends, they looked forward.

"I love you," said Yuna.

"Come back to us again," cried Rikku.

Tidus and Max turned to their respective girlfriends, trying to give them one last goodbye hug. Their bodies solidified for a few seconds, allowing Rikku and Yuna to feel their warmth one last time. Then, they walked forward, completely phasing through their girlfriend's bodies. Their time was almost over.

As they walked forward, they suddenly stopped.

"Two years," said Max, never looking back. Both Tidus and Max couldn't bear to look back anymore.

"Please, just remember us for two years before you move on," continued Max.

Rikku and Yuna nodded, although Max and Tidus didn't see it. They could feel them saying of course. In fact, Yuna and Rikku made a promise to always remember them forever. To never marry anybody else. Their love for them just couldn't be compared. Any other relationship would just seem dull and stain what they had.

* * *

"Guess this is it," said Tidus quietly so only Max could hear him.

"Yea. Let's see how we play this off," replied Max. They didn't tell anyone about their deal, as they didn't want them to have false hope.

Gazing at the endless sea of clouds, they were preparing to run before jumping into the clouds.

"Star players first?" asked Max.

"At this point, we're both the stars," answered Tidus, "There's nobody else I'd consider my best friend, my brother in all but blood. So let's do this together."

They ran towards the edge before jumping to dive through the clouds, where they would disappear from view.

Well..., Tidus jumped. Max's worst enemy, the floor, forced him to trip as he ended up tumbling off the ship.

Everybody had been waving goodbye to them, and couldn't help but laugh at Max's horrible exit style.

As the two were falling through the clouds, Tidus had to help Max to stop spinning.

"Urg, I want a redo," pouted Max.

Tidus laughed as he looked forward. He could see a portal at the end of their dive, where they would be transported to a new place, to fulfill a deal.

As they were falling, both of them saw Braska and Auron while passing by. Shuyin and Lenne were next.

"Don't make them wait," said Shuyin.

"I know you'll be able to come back. Just like Shuyin came back to me," said Lenne, "And it won't take a thousand years like he did."

Shuyin blushed, looking away at this.

The very last people they saw was Jecht, his wife, and another couple. Looking at them, it wasn't hard to figure it that this was Max's parents.

"He, good luck brat." said Jecht, his hand in the air.

"We're proud of you," said Max's father, his hand also in the air.

Both Max and Tidus slapped their father's hand one last time before disappearing into the portal.

* * *

A few days passed after Sin's defeat. Everybody was still celebrating, but many had gathered at Luca today. Today was the day High Summoner Yuna would give her speech as the slayer of Sin, the summoner who was still alive. The Summoner who found a way to bring the Eternal Calm.

Yuna was out at the docks, whistling as hard as she could towards the sea, whistling her heart out. Rikku was next to her, sitting down at the edge, lazily looking through her new arm computer.

Lulu approached them both before stating to Yuna, "Yuna, it's time."

They nodded as they walked back towards the stadium, where Yuna would be making her speech.

Soon, Yuna was at center stage, so everybody could see her. Her guardians, Sir Wakka, Lady Lulu, Sir Kimahri, Lady Rikku, and Lady Paine, stood behind her in support, to show they were the ones that had supported her. Rikku held a picture of Max, Paine with a picture of Auron, and Wakka with a picture of Tidus. They showed the world the people who were also her guardians who had sadly fallen in the line of duty or had vanished.  
"Everyone," began Yuna, with a microphone in her hand. Everybody was silent as they concentrated on her intently. There were memory spheres and video sphere concentrated on her so everybody who couldn't make it to Luca could still see her.

"Everyone has lost something precious. Everyone here has lost homes, dreams, and friends. Everybody… Now, Sin is finally dead. Now, Spira is ours again. Working together… Now we can make new homes for ourselves, and new dreams. Although I know the journey will be hard, we have lots of time. Together, we will rebuild Spira. The road is ahead of us, so let's start out today."

The people cheered in celebration. As Yuna looked around once more, her gaze fell upon the picture of Tidus.

"Just, one more thing…," she began again, causing the people to fall silent for a bit, "The people and the friends that we have lost,"

"or the dreams that have faded…," she muttered silently, not allowing the microphone to catch it.

Everyone fell silent as they all had a moment of silence for those lost before the Eternal Calm. Everyone was remembering the past.

* * *

For Wakka and Lulu, it was when they were proud that their sister in all but blood became a summoner, and yet at the same time, fearful. They became her guardians to ensure nothing would happen to her. This was also followed by the Besaid Aurochs winning the blitzball tournament for the first time in many years. And most importantly, Tidus and Max. Their personality, and their will. And also the fact that Max had been the one give them the final push to admit their feelings and date each other. They would have dated, still, but at a much later time.

For Paine, it was when she finally saw her uncle again. The journey she took, being a guardian to help Yuna while trying to discover why Auron left her alone. To find the truth, and to be able to forgive and forget the hatred she had for him.

For Kimarhi, it was mostly when Auron, in his dying breaths just outside of Bevelle, begged Kimarhi to take Yuna to Besaid village. Kimahri was saddened when he was told later by Paine that Auron wanted him to also take Paine, but was unable to do so before he died. Still, Yuna was the bright light in his world, and he swore to protect her forever.

For Rikku, it was when she first met Max and Tidus. Her attraction to all the machina that Max had. The tool set, the baton, anything. And his courage to actually ask her dad for permission to date her. Not many were willing to do that, and even less received a positive response from him.

For Yuna, it was when her journey first started to become a summoner. All the events that played out. Then, there was two that stood out the most. The first one was when Max had stopped Seymour from taking her first kiss, which was followed by Tidus taking her first kiss. Tidus's face stood out the most in her mind.A pyrefly seemed to just float past her cheek.

"Never forget them."

* * *

 **FIN!?**

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 **Don't kill me! I was joking about it being finished! If you noticed, I actually haven't the series as completed! That means one more chapter is coming out.**


	45. Chapter 44 The True Ending

**I'd like to give credit for the cover image to a good friend of mine, Tanner Robins. He gave me permission to put his name on this. On the left is Tidus, and on the right is what I imagined Max would be like.**

 **No, I did not do a typo on those years below. It really is that much time.**

 **Anyways EPILOGUE!**

* * *

 _5 years later_

Yuna sighed as she looked out from her home. She had moved back to Besaid when the Eternal Calm started, only to have a flood of people to trying to visit her or propose to her. Nooj, who was the leader in Bevelle, asked her to come live there, promising her peace and quiet. She declined, as she knew even Nooj couldn't control the media or the people who wanted to see her. She contemplated on moving to Zanarkand so as to feel close to her loved one in her memory, but with so many tourists visiting there, it would also be a bad idea.

Finally, Rikku, who was also suffering the same problem from her own people, invited her to live on an airship that had been found for her sweet 16th birthday. Yuna immediately accepted and moved in. Soon, they were traveling around Spira, being sphere hunters to hunt for Spira's past. They were the Gullwings. They had rivals like Leblanc's gang, but a single word from Nooj usually pacified them. The leader was desperately in love with Nooj.

As she was watching the clouds pass by, she could remember Lulu and Wakka's concern for her. Concern that she was still single. Many in Besaid village were also worried about the same thing. Yuna told them that she could never forget about Tidus, just as Rikku couldn't forget about Max. Even if the promised two years of remembrance had passed, they would hold them forever in their hearts. They never went to the Farplane just to see the image of their loved one. They could imagine it perfectly in their minds. Gatta and Luzzu helped convince most of the people at Besaid to let her be. They were now the protectors of Besaid village.

Kimarhi ended up leading his race back at Mt. Gagazet. Small statues of Ronso warrior who threw their lives to fight Seymour had been constructed to honor them. However, in the forefront of them all, were statues of Auron, Max, and Tidus. When asked why three humans were at the forefront, Kimahri replied that this was to honor the bravest people he knew. He wouldn't have anyone badmouth them. Rorick, the blacksmith, had passed his techniques to his son, who was constructing what many people considered the best weapons or tools. In their home, they had made a Zanarkand Abes logo, as a sign of respect to the person who taught them different metal works techniques.

Wakka and Lulu were living at Besaid, with a three-year-old child named Vidna and another child already on the way. They had asked Yuna to be the godmother of Vidna and were planning on having Rikku be the godmother of their second child.

Paine was living at the airship with them, dating Baralai on and off, due to the fact he was too busy with his duties at Bevelle and Luca. Still, the two of them would meet up whenever possible.

Yuna was now 22, Paine 21, and Rikku at 20, almost hitting 21. They had received so many admirers thanks to their deeds.

The High Summoner, the female swordsman, and the Al Bhed Princess. All targets for many single men of all Spira, all of them were at marrying age already. Even when they declined, many would keep pursuing. Even some of the married ones asked to have affairs, with no strings attached. Those were dealt with within the first year when Paine almost cut someone's privates off.

Still, it was less of a hassle for Paine as she was dating Baralai, causing many to back off. Only a few die-hards tried to seduce her with no success. Still, pressure from family and friends came to Yuna and Rikku, telling them to at least try dating someone. Tidus and Max had told them to remember them for two years only, after all. It wasn't as if they would completely forget about them. Still, Yuna and Rikku refused.

Guadosalem was still trying to recover from the loss and betrayal of Seymour. They were without a leader for a few years, but finally, someone came forth to fill the role.

The three of them met up at the main cockpit, where Brother was driving. He had decided he wanted to join them in sphere hunting, along with two other members, Shinra and Buddy. Brother tried many times to get a date with Yuna, but was kindly rejected each time. After two years of confessions, he finally gave up, knowing nobody could fill that special place in her heart except for Tidus. They had once seen a sphere they thought was Tidus was in it, but they soon recognized him as Shuyin instead. Still, the way Yuna's eyes lit up in hope was enough to dissuade Brother.

* * *

Suddenly, they received a call from Nooj. Sighing and already knowing what he wanted, Yuna answered it. His face appeared on the big screen.

"Greetings, Gullwings," greeted Nooj. Everybody greeted back.

"I'm here to talk to Yuna about the annual Calm Festival, located in Luca this year. I'm hoping she would join this year, seeing as it's the fifth anniversary. We're hoping she would at least attend one every 5 years," explained Nooj.

Yuna grimaced. She had attended the first festival, only to find it too painful to remember who she had lost. Coupled with so many people trying see her, proposing to her, etc that she got tired of it. She stopped attending it, causing many to wonder why. Her guardians merely told the populace to respect her privacy, as she had lost someone important and just wanted time to relax. At first, they respected her wishes. As the years past with the festival location alternating from Bevelle and Luca, they came back with a huge force. Many promised her that they would be the one to fill that lonely void in her heart. Some were more forceful than others. Those ones ended up in the nearest hospital after Yuna was done with them. Not to mention while in the hospital, Kimahri would come in and warn them not to try it again or face the wrath of the Ronso and Al Bhed.

"Fine," Yuna muttered, "I'll attend. I suppose you'll want me to prepare a speech?"

"That would be most gracious of you," said Nooj, "Who knows? Maybe you'll find someone to-"

"Shutting you up, bye," said Yuna, hanging up on him.

Nooj winced, knowing he had just stepped on a landmine with that comment. He blamed Gippal for influencing him like that.

"Five years," muttered Nooj, looking out the window from Bevelle. There were plans on making Zanarkand hospitable again, but it would take awhile. Gippal was there trying to fix and understand everything there, along with Cid. Isaaru was his right-hand man now. Baralai was busy with relations in every city, making sure nothing was going wrong. Isaaru's little brothers, Maroda and Pacce, had gone their separate ways. Maroda was now commander of a security force in Bevelle. Pacce took up sphere-hunting, seeing as it was fun.

Nooj sat back on his chair as he reminisced about the past. Who knew what would have happened if Max hadn't seen them. He had no doubt that Yuna would have still brought the Eternal Calm, but what could have happened in those years? He would had been still possessed by Shuyin, bring Vegnagun out and destroy the whole world perhaps. He would have betrayed Paine, Baralai, and Gippal without even meaning to. As he closed his eyes, he heard a woman's voice from the hall and sighed. It was her again. She could never learn to give up. Then again, he really didn't mind her that much

"Noojie-Woojie! I've come to see you!" shouted Leblanc, ignoring the security guards telling her not to come in without permission.

* * *

Soon, the day of the festival arrived. This festival was on the day Yuna defeated Sin and lasted a week. Several activities was hosted on this week, from unofficial blitzball tournaments to sphere break tournaments, invented by Rin. Food from all over Spira was made on this week. It was all to celebrate when Yuna brought them the Eternal Calm. Most didn't notice that she had lost three guardians in the process. A short mourning was held before the festival, but those three were just another face in the crowd for most people. Only the Crusaders truly mourned for them, for they were the ones who set Spira free from Yevon's lies and protected them from their hideous plots. They made sure their contributions would be passed on in Crusaders history forever

People from all over Spira was arriving. From boats to airships, people were traveling to have fun. As Yuna was in a private room at the stadium with the Gullwings, getting ready to prepare her speech, when she was visited by her friends. The paparazzi, of course, tried to find her room, but nobody except close friend knew where she was, or even allowed to go in.

"Heyyyy, what's uppp?" said Wakka with Vidna in his arms. Lulu walked in, her pregnancy showing. Besides here were the Besaid Aurochs, acting as her bodyguard, making sure nobody jostled her. Thanks to their training with Max, the Besaid Aurochs no longer lost the first round every time. However, it was much harder to win the championship as more people adopted their strategies. Luckily, Max had left them a huge playbook with different tactics. So far, they had won the annual blitzball tournament that would begin at the beginning of the season two times out of the five years.

Kimahri came in next and gave Yuna a hug. He merely asked if she was fine, and left it at that. Her next guests came as a surprise to her. Dona and Barthello had come to visit, with their 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son. The daughter's name was Tina, and the son was named after someone who they both respected a lot. His name was Maximillian, or Max for short. After a short conversation, they left.

"High Summoner Yuna, it's time," said Nooj respectfully. Sighing, Yuna walked out to the podium where everyone could see her, along with her guardians standing behind her. Wakka, Lulu, Kimahri, and Paine did not change their clothing too much. Yuna and Rikku underwent a huge wardrobe change. (FFX-2 style) However, Yuna kept the hair braid from her old design as well as the special necklace from Tidus, while Rikku kept her orange forearm guard.

Everyone was cheering as they saw Yuna step out. Video spheres were all pointed at her. As soon as the crowds finally silence themselves, Yuna began her speech.

"I hope everyone's doing well. It's been five years since the Eternal Calm."

Everyone cheered again, making Yuna wait until the crowd died down.

"I-" she didn't get to finish her sentence as the speakers suddenly emitting a static charge, followed by a loud feedback noise. Soon, it stopped, but when Yuna spoke into her microphone, it wasn't transmitting her sound. Rikku opened her arm computer, trying to figure out who was hi-jacking the signal. Whoever it was, the hacker was a lot more skilled than her. Then she started panicking when she noticed that she was being hacked. It soon stopped, but she no longer had complete control of her arm computer anymore. Instead, it became blank with just a flashing line on the screen, as if someone was going to type something in.

Soon, a voice spoke into the all the speakers in Luca.

" _Hello? Is this working?"_ said the voice. It was strangely familiar to Yuna and them.

" _Well, I can hear my own voice. Guess it is,"_ said the voice. Many laughed, but Nooj wasn't. He was directing every Crusader, warrior monks, and guards to find out who had hacked their system.

" _Of course it's working,"_ said another voice in the background, _"Why even doubt my skills? Now just do as we had planned. You ruined it by having your first sentence on asking if it was on."_

" _All right all right. Sorry,"_ apologized a voice, _"Anyways, this message is for someone special. Send the first message away, buddy,"_

Suddenly, Rikku's computer started typing something out. Rikku and Yuna both read it together.

 _ **Vummuf dra cuiht, vun ed femm mayt oui du ouin dnia muja.**_

Rikku quickly translated it for had been practicing the Al Bhed language, but she still wasn't fluent enough to read it quickly.

"Follow the sound, for it will lead you to your true love," translated Rikku before she frowned in disgust. "This better not be some idiot trying to propose to us again."

Then, there was the sound. A sound Yuna had not heard for a long time. Nobody used this sound, as nobody really knew how to. This sound gave her hope.

The sound of a whistle.

Another message was typed out in Al Bhed.

 _ **Vummuf dra kevd, vun ed femm kieta oui.**_

"Follow the gift, for it will guide you," translated Rikku again, this time confused. Then, the last message made her heart leap.

 _ **Ymcu, tu oui naymmo drehg cusauha luimt rylg ehdu drec lusbidan cu aycemo? .0**_

'Also, do you really think someone could hack into this computer so easily? .0' Rikku translated in her mind before mentally screaming.

Yuna and Rikku looked at each other before they bolted out of the stadium.

* * *

Yuna quickly grasped her necklace, activating the tracer she had long forgotten. It started to vibrate. Using it as a guide, Yuna pointed to where the vibration felt the strongest. Then, she heard the whistle again.

"Hey what's gotten into you two?" asked Wakka as he caught up to them when they stood still. They didn't bother answering as the ran towards the whistle. It was coming from the main city of Luca. Wakka groaned as he stood there. Soon, Lulu caught up with him, a child in her arms.

"Let's go see what's gotten them so excited," said Lulu.

Running across the bridge that connected the stadium to Luca, Yuna and Rikku was greeted by a multitude of people.

"Lady Yuna!"

"High summoner Yuna!"

"How are you doing?"

"You're looking well, what's the rush?"

"Lady Rikku, you're looking well as ever. How's Cid?"

"Miss Rikku, will you got out on a date with me?"

"Marry me!"

However, they were all ignored as Yuna frantically ran through the crowd, with Rikku following her close by. The vibrations from her necklace were getting stronger. She then stepped onto a bench and whistled, hoping to get a reply.

The whistle came back again once more in reply.

Both ladies could not keep their grins off their faces. They had hope again!

Blazing through the town of Luca, they followed the vibration until they were at the edge of Luca, at the road that leads to Mi'ihen road. At this point, they had a huge following now. Numerous people had followed her when she bolted out of the stadium like a person on a mission.

Looking out at the road, Yuna and Rikku saw a group of people wearing cloaks and straw hats just walking towards them. The hats covered up their faces, and the cloak covered what they were wearing. However, when Yuna pointed it towards the group, the vibration grew even stronger. Acting on instinct, she whistled once more. Then she saw one of the men move his hands towards his mouth and whistled back. Almost crying now, she slowly walked forward. Rikku was trembling as she also walked forward. One of them shifted, in his cloak to reveal a noticeable silver forearm guard. With a press of a button, a holo screen popped up. He typed in a message, and Rikku's computer received it.

 _ **Did you miss us?**_

* * *

Two of them walked ahead of the group, tossing their hats and cloaks. The same hairstyle, almost same clothes, just a few variations, the same eyes, and an older looking face. But it was the same person that they had fallen in love with. It was Max and Tidus, and they had finally arrived home.

Not even bothering to hide their tears now, Yuna and Rikku rushed towards them.

Tidus and Max had also felt so lonely without them and started to run towards them. They met up halfway when Yuna and Rikku, both laughing happily while sobbing tears of joy jumped on their long-lost boyfriends, hugging them tightly.

"Are you real?" asked Yuna as soon as she regained control of her emotions.

"Definitely," replied Tidus.

"What took you guys so long?" asked Rikku, tears still streaming down her eyes.

"Sorry. Cosmo was a bit more stubborn than I thought," replied Max.

"Pshh, a little?" said a voice. It was the group of people that Max and Tidus had been traveling with. They had gotten rid of their cloaks and hats, revealing themselves. "Try the size of a planet for her stubbornness."

"Never the less, with Max and Tidus, you all managed to return back home, Zidane. Back to your loved ones," replied a young beautiful woman with long luscious black hair, wearing an orange jumpsuit.

"Nothing would have kept me away from you, Dagger." replied Zidane.

Ignoring them for now, Yuna and Rikku focused on their lost boyfriends. They could feel everything was real. That this was not an illusion, nor a dream. They were here, and they were staying real.

Unable to contain themselves, Yuna and Rikku kissed their long-lost boyfriends. Not complaining, the boys kissed back just as passionately. Soon, though, a spiky blonde hair man coughed, interrupting them.

"Cloud, why did you interrupt such a sweet moment?" asked the woman with long brownish black hair and breasts that could compare with Lulu, if not bigger.

"Because Tifa, they have a following of about a city's worth of people staring at them," replied Cloud.

Tidus, Yuna, Rikku, and Max turned around to see it was true. Everyone was looking in surprise to see Yuna and Rikku kissing someone. However, when they turned around, many of them recognized them. They were the two guardians that had gone missing after Sin was defeated. The two guardians that was said to be the lovers of Yuna and Rikku. The ones the Crusaders dubbed "True-path Tidus" and "Defender Max". Many of the Crusaders started to cheer along with Wakka, Lulu, the Besaid Aurochs, Paine, and Kimahri. Soon, everyone followed and starting to cheer for them. For the lost heroes had come back.

"Welcome home," said Yuna.

Tidus stared for a moment before replying, "I'm home. I am back home now." Tears started to gather up his eyes.

He hugged Yuna at this statement. Yuna slowly put her arms around him and hugged him back.

"Welcome home, dear."

Rikku looked at Max before telling him the same thing, getting the same response.

* * *

"HEY! YOU TWO! YOU TWO HAVE A LOT TO EXPLAIN ABOUT!" yelled a voice. The crowd separated to show a furious Cid.

"LEAVING MY DAUGHTER AND NIECE LIKE THAT. THE NERVE OF YOU TWO! COME OVER HERE AND I'LL GIVE YOU TWO A 'LOVING' HUG. ONE YOU WON'T FORGET!" roared Cid as he began to run towards them.

"I think you two should run," said a woman who introduced herself as Rinoa and her fiancee Squall.

"Good point. RUNN!" laughed Max as he pulled Rikku with him. Tidus did the same with Yuna. They were all laughing as the group decided to run with them, with Cid chasing them.

"Get me an airship or something with speed down here!" shouted Cid. "I need to catch up to those boys!"

Suddenly, an airship, one much sleeker than any Al Bhed ever saw, came from above.

"Oh good, the Highwind's here," said the female with green hair that was named Terra. The airship quickly beamed them up into the ship before flying away from Cid.

Cid stood there in shock for a bit before slowly walking back.

"I needa get me one of those," muttered Cid.

"Soo. Who are these people?" asked Rikku. She pointed out to the group that Max and Tidus had been with.

"It's going to be a long story," said Max.

"We have time," replied Yuna.

"All right," said Tidus, "It all began with a deal we made to see C-"

* * *

 **Finish! THE END!  
**

* * *

 **Now the story ends! Hope you guys enjoyed the story. My first fanfic to be written, my second one to end! And it only took my 7 months to finish it!**

 **Read and Review Please! Let's break the 150 barrier!**

 **If you've enjoyed this story, I have my RWBY story that just launched! Come see it and remember to review!**


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